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 2025-2026 Respiratory Season

Influenza Surveillance

• Laboratories are required to submit all influenza-positive specimens exhibiting atypical features (for example: un-subtypeable specimens) to OSPHL. (Per Oregon Administrative Rule 333-018-0015)
  
• This definition includes only specimens which a laboratory tried to subtype but the test method could not identify a subtype. 
  
• This definition does not include specimens that a laboratory did not attempt to subtype. 
  
• 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 elsewhere in the facility (for example: the emergency department).
  
• For patients hospitalized with influenza who previously tested positive, facilities are encouraged to recollect a respiratory specimen for molecular testing at OSPHL upon admission if original samples are not available or viable. 
  

Please review the documents provided above for the respiratory season above for specimen submission details. 

COVID-19 Testing and Surveillance

• 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.