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Woodburn drive-through testing event finds most people positive for Covid show no symptoms

A Covid-19 test swab is packaged up to be tested during a free drive-through testing clinic at Woodburn Ambulance Service on Tuesday, August 25. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

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A mass coronavirus testing event held by Woodburn Ambulance last week recorded 12 additional cases of the virus among 100 people swabbed, with nearly all showing no symptoms of illness.

That figure doesn’t include eight other participants who came back positive but had previously had a Covid test or were considered presumptive cases, Woodburn Ambulance owner Shawn Baird said.

“It is alarming,” said Marin Arreola, program director for the Interface Network, a nonprofit health care organization which provided interpreters for the event.

During the event in Woodburn, he said he expected testing would uncover many asymptomatic cases, which are of concern because people without symptoms can spread the virus to others vulnerable to serious illness.

In Oregon, about 13% of people testing positive for Covid since the pandemic began have showed no symptoms of illness, according to Oregon Health Authority’s most recent report on Aug. 26.

But that number likely isn’t a true reflection of people infected, because state guidelines don’t recommend widespread testing for people without symptoms of illness unless they’re in high risk groups.

Arreola said Interface is joining other Marion County health care organizations to push the state to expand mass testing.

“People want to go to mass testing events because there are less barriers, they’re easy,” he said. “I think they give you better information than just doing clinic testing.”

Interface is seeking to expand mass testing events to other parts of Marion and Polk counties, Arreola said.

Most of those tested last week were Latino, with many working in agriculture jobs like nurseries, field work or processing plants, he said. Several families came to be tested together, and Arreola said at least one family had every member test positive.

The event, held Aug. 25, is the first of at least four weekly mass testing events the ambulance is holding to try to give health authorities a truer picture of the virus’ spread in Marion County.

Baird said only one or two of those who tested positive had symptoms, meaning most wouldn’t have been able to get a test through a traditional clinic or doctor’s office.

“Primarily everyone was feeling fine,” he said.

The clinic comes after a Aug.1 Woodburn event put on by Alluvium, a Salem-based nonprofit organization offering free testing, found over 13% of several hundred people tested for the virus were positive.

Statewide, the number of tests coming back positive was just 4.4% last week.

Baird said last week’s results were in line with what he expected following the Aug. 1 event.

Woodburn Ambulance is hosting another clinic this evening, with 167 people registered for 165 spots. Baird said they expanded the available tests after seeing high interest in last week’s clinic.

They will hold additional clinics Sept. 8 and 15, with preregistration required. More information is available on the Woodburn Ambulance Facebook page.

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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.