Are Oregon counties effectively containing the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”)?

OSPIRG

New analysis of COVID-19 containment data in all 36 Oregon counties shows 8 counties out of control, 12 more at risk. OSPIRG calls on Gov. Brown for more consistent application of reopening plan, and immediate lockdowns in hard hit rural counties.

While Oregon has fared better than many states, keeping it that way will require quick intervention to avoid spiraling out of control. A test, trace, and isolate strategy is ineffective in a County with a severe outbreak. Five counties are already out of control, and a further three are at risk without immediate action from the state.

In this fact-sheet, we’ve analyzed COVID-19 data for all 36 Oregon counties, and graded their performance against three critical metrics for disease containment: (1) daily case reports, measured on a per capita adjusted basis; (2) testing volume, measured by test positivity over the most recent week of available data; and (3) success of contact tracing efforts, measured by the percentage of cases that could not be traced to a known source over the most recent week of available data.