Oregon health officials say COVID-19 may be less prevalent now than any time since early pandemic lockdowns.
The Oregon Health Authority measures the disease using testing data from healthcare facilities. During one week last month, only 2% of tests came back positive.
The last time rates were that low was May, 2020.
Melissa Sutton, OHA's Medical Director of Respiratory Viral Pathogens, said COVID-19 hasn’t rebounded since its previous surge in Oregon eased last fall.
“That's really driven by population level immunity from both vaccination and natural infections over time," said Sutton. "Now, it's not uncommon to see COVID-19 remain low for a period of time after a surge, but it's absolutely the case that this is the lowest we've seen since the pandemic began. And I must say, it's a welcome break."
Sutton said it's not clear when COVID-19 may surge again. She said the virus still hasn’t settled into a consistent season like some other common respiratory viruses.
Meanwhile, influenza and RSV are on the rise in Oregon, according to state positivity rate data.
The flu had previously hit a peak in late December, and started falling—but it’s now trending upwards once again. RSV has been steadily rising through this winter.
Sutton said this virus season is resembling a typical pre-pandemic year. She said it's not too late to get the flu vaccine.
“We’ve seen a lot of atypical seasonality in our respiratory viruses since the pandemic began," said Sutton. "And I think now what we're starting to see—certainly with influenza and a bit more with RSV—is a return to those more classic seasonal patterns."
Sutton said there are number of other respiratory viruses circulating around the state. She is asking the public to wash their hands often, and stay home if they’re feeling ill.
