In One Month, Oregon Sees a Fivefold Increase in Weekly COVID-19 Cases

The percentage of cases coming back positive is 5.3% in the last 7 days, up from 2% a month ago.

COVID-19 testing swabs. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Rachel Monahan

The number of new cases of COVID-19 per week in Oregon has increased fivefold in the last month.

In the week ending July 5, Oregon reported 2,117 new cases. A month ago, the weekly total was 413 cases.

Only a fraction of that increase can be directly traced to more testing.

The number of tests has increased significantly, to be sure—but not anywhere close to as much as case numbers have increased. The number of tests is up 94%, from 20,539 in the week ending June 5 to 39,914 in the week ending July 5. That's a big jump, but nowhere near the 400 percent increase in new infections.

What that means: Far more people who get tested have COVID-19. The percentage of cases coming back positive is at 5.3%, up from 2%.

In the July 6 COVID-19 weekly testing summary, the Oregon Health Authority suggests the increases are to be expected.

"This suggests increasing numbers of individuals with COVID-19, which is expected now that all counties are in Phase 1 or Phase 2 of reopening," the summary states. "Recent large outbreaks around the state have also contributed to these increases. We will continue to monitor these trends."

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