Oregon Health Officials Confirm 2nd Presumed Coronavirus Case

By Donald Orr

Published March 2, 2020 at 9:47 AM PST

<p>Three officials of the Oregon Health Authority, left, testify on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, before a committee of the Oregon Legislature in Salem, on preparations for a possible outbreak of coronavirus in Oregon. Appearing before the House Committee on Health Care were, from front to back Akiko Saito, section manager of health security, preparedness and response, Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and state epidemiologist, and OHA Director Patrick Allen. At right is Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat from the Oregon coast.</p> — Three officials of the Oregon Health Authority, left, testify on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, before a committee of the Oregon Legislature in Salem, on preparations for a possible outbreak of coronavirus in Oregon. Appearing before the House Committee on Health Care were, from front to back Akiko Saito, section manager of health security, preparedness and response, Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and state epidemiologist, and OHA Director Patrick Allen. At right is Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat from the Oregon coast.

Officials with the Oregon Health Authority announced Sunday evening the second presumptive case of COVID-19 in Oregon. The second case is a Washington County resident who is “an adult household contact’ of the first presumptive positive case, a man who lives in Washington County and works at Forest Hills Elementary in Lake Oswego.

According to health officials, the second adult did not require medical attention, and is isolated at home. The OHA has not released the gender or age of the adult.

“We may see more cases like this as we ramp up testing, and as we continue our public health investigations,” said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the tri-county region.

“So we are early in getting a full picture of where this second case spent time, and reaching out to a new circle of individuals who may have been exposed.”

The result came from one of 9 total tests completed Sunday by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. The eight other tests were negative.

According to a statement from OHA, the agency has the capacity to carry out 80 tests a day if needed, with supplies on hand to perform approximately 1,500 tests. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pledged to replenish Oregon’s capacity as needed.

Vines reiterated that people should stay home if they feel sick, wash their hands regularly, cover coughs and sneezes, disinfect surfaces, and take care of any other health conditions.

State health officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger said OHA will work to identify other locations where there might be significant contact to determine if school closures are necessary. But at this time, the only school affected is Forest Hills Elementary in Lake Oswego, closed through Wednesday.

“With the start of a new school week, parents can feel confident that they can send their children to school.”

At the same time that Forest Hills Elementary was being sanitized this weekend, Nike closed its Beaverton campus for cleaning, citing an “abundance of caution.” A Nike spokesperson told KGW there is no indication that any company employees were exposed to the new coronavirus.