Oregon's COVID levels are low amid national holiday surge
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Oregon is seeing relatively low levels of COVID-19 as the rest of the country experiences a surge ahead of the holiday travel season, according to the latest CDC data.
Driving the news: Wastewater analysis was showing minimal COVID-19 levels in Oregon as of earlier this month, down considerably from December 2022.
Meanwhile, almost every state showed at least "high" levels this month compared to baseline trends.
Yes, but: Given how much traveling people will be doing this season, it's likely that Oregon's COVID situation will worsen over the coming weeks.
Zoom out: There have been nearly 67,200 deaths related to COVID-19 nationally this year, per provisional CDC data.
- That's down significantly from about 246,200 last year and 463,300 in 2021, but still a considerable toll.
The big picture: As of early December, 22 states had "very high" COVID-19 wastewater levels as defined by the CDC, which compares current rates to baseline measurements at sites nationwide.
- Read more about the agency's methodology here.
