New data show updated COVID-19 vaccines work well

Available in Spanish New research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the first real-world data showing how well the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines work. The updated mRNA shots were designed to target newer strains of the virus and provide better protection from a COVID-19 infection compared to the original (monovalent) […]

The mystery of COVID-19 “super-dodgers”

Available in Spanish You may know someone – or multiple people – who haven’t gotten COVID-19 yet, even if they were exposed. You might know people who have tested positive and didn’t have symptoms. You might even be one of those people! These people have become known as “super-dodgers.” There are a few reasons for […]

Free telehealth service increases access to COVID-19 treatments

This blog is periodically updated to reflect changes in treatment guidelines. Available in Spanish Update, 3/27/23 – The Color Health telehealth service to receive oral antiviral medication is now available to children ages 12 – 17, with parental or adult caregiver consent. Update, 2/3/23 – On Feb. 2, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration […]

New COVID-19 subvariants on the rise

Available in Spanish Health officials are closely monitoring new subvariants of Omicron—BA.4.6, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. New variants and subvariants of the COVID-19 virus emerge regularly, and changes in their genetic codes sometimes make them more contagious. Here are a few things to know about the new subvariants: Public health officials are constantly monitoring COVID-19 variants […]

Long COVID-19: 5 facts about the legally protected, chronic illness

Available in Spanish Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people across the United States and the world have experienced lingering or new symptoms in the weeks and months after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. Although not fully understood yet, this condition is known as long COVID-19. Now three years in, researchers are […]

Bivalent COVID-19 boosters available to everyone 5 years and older

Available in Spanish Children as young as 5 years old are now eligible to receive an updated COVID-19 booster. The bivalent boosters, developed by Pfizer and Moderna, are designed to protect people from the currently predominant Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, as well as from the original COVID-19 strain. It’s a single dose that can […]

Comic for kids: Why you should get a COVID-19 vaccine!

Available in Spanish Talking to kids about COVID-19 can be hard, especially when the messages surrounding the pandemic change often. But the importance of COVID-19 vaccines hasn’t changed. They slow the spread of the virus and help keep people safe. Vaccines are the best protection we have against severe COVID-19 illness , hospitalization and death. […]

This year’s flu shot more important than ever

Available in Spanish An unexpected upside of COVID-19 precautions such as masking indoors and avoiding crowds is that public health experts saw virtually no major flu outbreaks in the United States during the last two years. That will likely change this year. With most mandatory COVID-19 measures lifted and many people returning to pre-pandemic activities, […]

Improved race and ethnicity data leads to changes in vaccination rates

Starting on Sept. 14, 2022, OHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination Metrics dashboard will include updated population estimates for race and ethnicity data at the state and county level. OHA worked closely with Portland State University’s Population Research Center to incorporate the latest data and methodology from the 2020 American Community Survey (ACS), leading to better estimates of the […]

Understanding personal risk using weekly COVID-19 data

Available in Spanish Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced last week that some data about COVID-19 will now be updated weekly rather than daily. Starting Sept. 14, weekly updates will include: Although many people relied on daily updates to assess their personal risk, weekly data still shows accurate and useful trends in how COVID-19 is spreading […]