In a sudden turnaround, the Oregon Health Authority announced Monday it will lift the state’s indoor mask requirements by the end of March for indoor places, including schools. The announcement came on the same day that the agency filed a permanent state rule requiring masks indoors in public places with[Read More…]
Health
Oregon soon could be on the mend from the pandemic with an expected drop in cases, officials say
Oregon’s short-term Covid-19 outlook remains bleak, Oregon’s lead epidemiologist said Friday, with hospitals nearing a peak in the demand for hospital beds and case counts skyrocketing. But after that, the situation could improve, according to Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist. “The omicron variant continues to cut a destructive swath[Read More…]
Want a free Covid-19 test delivered? Households can sign up now
The Biden administration’s effort to distribute free Covid-19 tests nationwide was supposed to start Wednesday. Instead, the government quietly began taking orders on Tuesday. Every household can obtain four free rapid antigen tests by going to CovidTests.gov and clicking through to a U.S. Postal Service site signup sheet and filling out the short form,[Read More…]
Oregon Health Authority creates new hotline, website for Covid-19 patients
With cases of omicron skyrocketing, the Oregon Health Authority is taking a new approach to tracking new Covid-19 infections. Investigators are no longer trying to call those who test positive for the coronavirus. State and county health departments have been using such calls to trace exposures and provide quarantine information.[Read More…]
Tested by one round, Oregon National Guard deploys for a second tour in hospitals
The Oregon National Guard is once again on the move to help the state’s hospitals. The order to do so came Wednesday from Gov. Kate Brown – less than a month after Guardsmen had completed the largest in-state mobilization in history. This time, up to 500 Guardsmen will be tasked[Read More…]
Oregon buys 6 million at-home test kits to give away free through community outlets
SALEM – The Oregon Health Authority has ordered 6 million home test kits to be given away free to help detect the coronavirus, the agency announced Thursday. The kits, each containing two tests, will be sent to health agencies, schools and community organizations to distribute. They also will go to[Read More…]
Forecast predicts Omicron will take a heavy toll in Oregon
Oregon is facing a surge from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that by early February could put twice as many people in the hospital as the Delta variant, state officials announced Friday. That forecast, by Oregon Health & Science University, comes as infections and hospitalization from the Delta variant[Read More…]
New coronavirus strain a ‘variant of concern,’ dubbed Omicron by World Health Organization
A new strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel. Little is known yet about what the World Health Organization dubbed the Omicron variant today. South Africa first reported the B.1.1.529 variant to the World Health Organization Wednesday, November[Read More…]
Brown greenlights COVID-19 booster shots for all adults
Following recommendations from the FDA, CDC, and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, Oregon Governor Kate Brown gave the go-ahead to open eligibility for booster shots to all adults. People ages 18 and up and who received their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine six months prior[Read More…]
CDC approves COVID-19 booster shots for all adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave their stamp of approval to opening COVID-19 booster shot eligibility to every adult in the U.S. Frida, and shots could soon be available in Oregon. A CDC advisory panel recommended the vaccine booster program be expanded to all adults Friday, and[Read More…]