The number of patients needing hospital care for the flu is rising, fueling the demand for beds by hundreds of children with a respiratory illness and adults suffering from COVID-19.
Author: Lynne Terry - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Gov. Brown pardons marijuana possession convictions for about 45,000 people
With just over a month left in her term, Gov. Kate Brown has issued a sweeping pardon for Oregonians convicted of possessing a small amount of marijuana.
Oregon health officials expect a winter surge of Covid, flu cases
Cases have dropped but there are signs of an uptick; at the same time monkeypox cases have fallen
Oregon likely to face more bird flu cases during migrations
Backyard and commercial flock owners beware: Bird flu is highly infectious and deadly for birds, causing high mortality rates, and it can spread to other wildlife, but it does not pose a problem to people.
Oregon needs thousands of construction, government workers to close housing gap
Oregon’s housing shortage is worse today than it was before the start of the Covid pandemic, a state economist told lawmakers Wednesday during a hearing to discuss ways of easing the statewide crunch.
As monkeypox spreads in Oregon, wait lists grow for the vaccine
Hundreds of people have been vaccinated against monkeypox in Oregon, which has nearly 100 cases, but even more await a shot.
A vaccine approved for use against monkeypox remains in short supply. What’s more, infectious disease experts don’t know how effective it is.
Health officials confirm six cases of monkeypox in Oregon
The Oregon Health Authority is working with community groups to try to prevent the spread that has mainly affected gay and bisexual men in the current global outbreak. Two of the cases were in Washington County.
State advises Oregonians to watch out for snapping turtles
State wildlife officials are on the hunt for invasive snapping turtles. These prehistoric-looking creatures, native to the eastern part of Canada and the U.S. , have settled into the Tualatin River watershed and been spotted elsewhere, including the Clackamas, Willamette, Columbia, Sandy, Molalla, Pudding and Umpqua rivers and the Columbia Slough. [Read More…]
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen returns to work after weeks of recovery
Patrick Allen, the director of the Oregon Health Authority, returned to duty this week after a long absence. The agency declined to respond to requests for more information. He was working at his home in Sherwood throughout much of the pandemic. It’s not clear whether he is continuing to work[Read More…]
Oregon Legislature passes bill mandating overtime pay for farmworkers
Oregon is headed towards becoming the eighth state to mandate overtime pay for farmworkers. The pay bill passed its final legislative hurdle on Thursday and heads to Gov. Kate Brown, who appears ready to sign the new requirement into law. That means an estimated 86,000 farmworkers next year will get[Read More…]
