Oregon Health Authority To Make Major COVID-19 Reporting Change

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Health Authority is making a major change to how it reports on COVID-19.

Starting Wednesday, September 14th, daily virus reports will become weekly.

That includes case counts, virus related deaths, and hospitalizations.

Other dashboards, such as breakthrough reports, outbreaks, vaccinations, pediatric reports, and disease severity will be updated monthly.

OHA Director Patrick Allen says with cases, hospitalizations, and deaths waning, the pandemic is in a new place, “There’s now less need for the level of data we previously reported for someone to act upon daily. We’re at a place close to other respiratory viruses where people need to know how we’re doing generally.”

He says the move also allows the agency to shift resources, “I mean things like our broader respiratory virus response, managing the monkeypox outbreak, the work were doing to eliminate health inequities, and better responding to other diseases.