Jan. 25, 2021

Central Oregon and OSU-Cascades community members,

I am writing to announce that Oregon State University this weekend will provide community-wide prevalence testing in Redmond for the virus that causes COVID-19.

Sampling in 30 randomly selected Redmond neighborhoods will occur Jan. 29-31 as part of TRACE Community – a COVID-19 prevalence project launched last spring by OSU scientists. Samples will be collected from local residents by trained teams of traditional health workers and students from OSU-Cascades and OSU in Corvallis. The Redmond sampling is optional for those contacted to participate and will safely test more than 600 local residents at their households. The results of the tests will be shared confidentially within 5 to 7 days with sampling participants, and the results of those who test positive will be provided to Deschutes County Health Services.

You may recall, TRACE testing was provided in Bend in late May. Here is a link to the TRACE-COVID-19 website and a link to a news release being distributed to media today.

The study’s expansion to Redmond is evidence of how OSU and OSU-Cascades faculty and staff – and community and private sector partners – are effectively contributing to multiple efforts to reduce the risk and spread of the virus.  

Even in light of the development and eventual distribution of the vaccine, this type of information is vitally important and will help inform local and state leaders and local health officials regarding the prevalence of the virus in our communities as they work to safely reopen our communities and the state’s economy.

TRACE-COVID-19 is a joint effort by the university, OSU-Cascades, OSU’s colleges of Science, Public Health and Human Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, and is in partnership with Deschutes County Health Services. The study has received funding from OSU, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, PacificSource Health Plans and the Oregon Health Authority, and has been aided by work from the OSU Foundation and the OSU Alumni Association.

Since the project began in April 2020, OSU has performed TRACE community sampling in Corvallis five times, in Newport twice, and in Bend, Hermiston and Eugene once.

We appreciate the partnership of the city of Redmond and Redmond Mayor George Endicott that allowed OSU to bring the study to Redmond.

We are confident this work will advance understanding of the virus prevalence in Redmond and help contribute to a safer and healthier Central Oregon community.

Sincerely,
Becky Johnson
Vice President
OSU-Cascades