Submitting Influenza & COVID-19 Surveillance Specimens

Submitting Influenza & COVID-19 Surveillance Specimens to OSPHL

General Information

The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL) provides testing for influenza and COVID-19 to support public health priorities established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Specimens submitted must meet the criteria outlined by the guidelines provided below. OSPHL may consult with local or state public health officials to verify specimen acceptance.

Submitting Surveillance Specimens for the 2024-2025 Respiratory Season

Influenza Surveillance

• Per Oregon Administrative Rule 333-018-0015, laboratories are required to submit all influenza-positive specimens exhibiting atypical features (e.g., unsubtypeable specimens) to OSPHL. 
• OHA requests all Oregon laboratories submit to OSPHL all influenza-positive specimens from hospitalized patients. “Hospitalized" is defined as patients admitted to a facility and those who would typically be admitted but who are instead boarded in emergency departments due to hospital capacity constraints.
  

COVID-19 Testing and Surveillance

• All specimens submitted to OSPHL for COVID-19 PCR or NAAT testing must meet the criteria outlined in the Criteria for Requesting COVID-19 Testing at OSPHL. For specimens not meeting these criteria, COVID-19 testing is widely available and clinicians should order COVID-19 testing at their discretion through commercial laboratories.
• Any clinical laboratory in Oregon is invited to submit up to 10 COVID-19-positive specimens per week to OSPHL for COVID-19 surveillance. OSPHL will genetically sequence the SARS-CoV-2 virus to help the public health community understand circulating variants, resistance to antiviral medications, and contribute to vaccine development. Submission guidance is provided below.