Oregon’s image problem: COVID-19 testing numbers looked terrible, so officials changed the stats they reported
Updated Dec 12, 2020;
Posted Dec 12, 2020
A worker at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland administers a coronavirus test earlier this year. (Beth Nakamura/
The Oregonian)
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After days of brutal criticism over state data showing a
disappointing number of Oregonians tested for the coronavirus, public health officials held a news conference Nov. 20 to announce Oregon wasn’t performing as poorly as it appeared.
Although data from two prominent COVID-19 test tracking websites showed Oregon ranked 49th or 50th nationally in its rate of testing, officials said Oregon’s performance was instead “middle of the pack.”