File photo: Chas Hundley The surge of people hospitalized or infected with omicron is over, according to the latest forecast from Oregon Health & Science University. The forecast, which influences the policy of the Oregon Health Authority, indicates that Oregon reached its peak, and the number of Oregonians infected or[Read More…]
health
Oregon Health Authority will lift indoor mask mandate by end of March
File photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
Oregon soon could be on the mend from the pandemic with an expected drop in cases, officials say
File photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
Want a free Covid-19 test delivered? Households can sign up now
File photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
Oregon Health Authority creates new hotline, website for Covid-19 patients
File photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
Tested by one round, Oregon National Guard deploys for a second tour in hospitals
Blaine Williams of 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment of the Oregon National Guard, helps health care technician Heather Smith change patient bedding at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg in August 2021. (Maj. W. Chris Clyne, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs) The Oregon National Guard is once again on the move[Read More…]
Oregon buys 6 million at-home test kits to give away free through community outlets
Oregon officials have ordered 6 million test kits to distribute free. (iHealth Labs) 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[Read More…]
Forecast predicts Omicron will take a heavy toll in Oregon
File photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
New coronavirus strain a ‘variant of concern,’ dubbed Omicron by World Health Organization
File photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
Brown greenlights COVID-19 booster shots for all adults
Face masks. Photo: Chas Hundley 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[Read More…]
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