The total number of Oregonians tested for coronavirus surpassed 1,000 on Tuesday as Gov. Kate Brown’s administration again provided mixed messages about when expanded testing will be available.

This time the confusion stemmed directly from comments by Brown, in response to a question from reporters about what was being done to increase testing in Oregon.

“The short answer is, yes, we are expecting testing capacity to ramp up substantially,” Brown initially said in a conference call, “in the next three weeks.”

Brown explained that White House officials provided assurances Monday to states that 1 million tests would be available nationwide this week, 2 million next week and 5 million the week after.

Brown said Oregon would consider doing drive-thru testing, noting that it was already available in about a dozen other states.

But Brown then shifted the timeline for a meaningful increase in Oregon from three weeks to this week.

“You should see our testing capacity ramp up, I don’t want to say exponentially but substantially, this week, as we expand testing capacity through a private provider,” she said.

After the conference call with reporters, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked Brown’s office and the Oregon Health Authority for details. The newsroom asked what provider Brown was talking about, when the provider would begin testing and how many tests it could analyze at its own lab.

It quickly appeared there was no provider.

Robb Cowie, an agency spokesman, said in an email that Brown was talking generally about commercial labs providing test results to the state.

“We don’t have a contract with a lab to conduct additional testing,” he said, but the health authority “has been receiving an increasing number of test results from commercial laboratories.”

Brown’s office, meanwhile, said in a statement that it is a top priority for Brown to secure more lab capacity and testing materials.

“As a smaller state, we do not have the same number of facilities or volume of processing capabilities of larger states that are currently facing outbreaks,” spokesman Charles Boyle said in a statement. “Governor Brown and her administration have been working with the hospital system in Oregon to bring private labs online, which is reflected in the growing number of tests that are being completed in Oregon each day.”

State officials have long acknowledged the need to test more Oregonians but have blamed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for providing a limited supply of kits. State officials have rationed tests to those they consider most in need, with analysis done at the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory in Hillsboro.

Oregon through Tuesday reported that 1,033 residents have now been tested for coronavirus. Sixty-seven people have been infected.

Cowie, the state spokesman, said 211 of the reported tests – and eight positives – were analyzed somewhere other than the state lab.

The lack of adequate testing nationally has suppressed the number of identified cases, leaving people who are infected with mild symptoms potentially able to spread the virus unknowingly. More than 5,500 infections have been identified nationally, according to The New York Times’ database, but the actual number is higher.

The federal government does not track the number of people who have been tested, and individual states don’t always publicize or disclose their figures. The Oregonian/OregonLive last week conducted a point-in-time survey that found Oregon was far behind California and Washington but in line with many other states in terms of the raw number of people tested.

Brown’s statements Tuesday about the potential for more testing in Oregon comes less than a week after Dean Sidelinger, the state health officer and epidemiologist, said commercial labs were already offering testing and several hospital systems were expected to be up and running this week.

But state officials wouldn’t disclose which hospital systems those were even though Brown’s office announced there were “agreements” with five chains.

OHSU Hospital, which had been most optimistic about being able to quickly test, said this week that on-site lab capabilities may not happen until March 25, although the hospital hopes it’s sooner.

Legacy Health said it expects to have “limited ability” to perform in-house lab testing “within the next two weeks.”

Providence Health & Services, meanwhile, could be ready to begin testing and lab work within the next few days, spokesman Gary Walker said.

“They’re eager to get going,” he said.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt