News & Stories for Oregonians
Available in Spanish A few weeks ago we reported that Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 had become the predominant COVID-19 variant across Oregon and the United States, making up 14.8% of all cases nationally at that time. As of last week, another subvariant—Omicron EG.5—has taken over as the country’s predominant strain, accounting for 17.3% of COVID-19 cases […]
We’ve heard from readers that you’d like more information about what’s happening with COVID-19. The good news is there’s not much to report, but we understand why people are feeling anxious about something that has consumed all of our lives for the past few years. The virus The virus that causes COVID-19 continues to mutate. […]
A conversation with Jill Baker, OHA Youth Suicide Prevention coordinator, on how to identify and help someone in crisis In 2021, the most recent year for which we have data, suicide was the second leading cause of death in Oregon among people under 25. Oregon began tracking youth suicide data in 1999, when youth suicide […]
Updated 4/4/2023 – This post was updated with a link to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for the current schedule of COVID-19 vaccinations. Available in Spanish A lot of people want to know the answer to this question. For example, will federal health officials authorize a second dose of the bivalent booster? […]
Available in Spanish We know how COVID-19 affects many parts of the body, such as the lungs and heart. But scientists are still trying to understand how COVID-19 affects the brain. COVID-19 can make you feel dizzy, give you a headache or make you less able to focus—all symptoms that involve the brain. But the […]
Available in Spanish You may have seen it in the news, on your social media feed, in your family group chat or in announcements from your kid’s school: this is a bad season for respiratory viruses. With COVID-19, RSV and influenza circulating, many people have found themselves under the weather. The surge of respiratory viruses, […]
Available in Spanish The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released two reports showing the bivalent COVID-19 booster provides significant protection against COVID-19-related hospitalization, especially for people age 65 and older. These new reports follow a recent study showing that symptomatic people who received the bivalent vaccine were less likely to test positive […]
Available in Spanish Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are increasing nationwide and are likely to rise in Oregon. This will strain the state’s hospital system, especially combined with an expected increase in flu and COVID-19 cases this winter. Pediatric hospital capacity is limited in Oregon and is expected to be heavily strained based on […]
COVID-19 reinfections have been one of the largest unknowns during the pandemic. Can you get sick again? If so, when? How serious would a second or third infection be? Does being vaccinated reduce the likelihood of being reinfected? New data compiled by Oregon Health Authority (OHA) help answer these questions. Let’s start with some […]
Available in Spanish The fact that we have an updated bivalent booster dose that targets the predominant variants circulating today is a wonder of science, but how do we know it’s safe and effective? In late June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) weighed administering the original COVID-19 vaccine as the next round of […]
