What’s next with COVID-19 vaccines or boosters?

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? Will there be an entirely new vaccine formula available next fall? And if so, will it be a flu-COVID-19 combo shot? At this point we don’t […]

How does COVID-19 affect the brain?

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 […]

Why are so many people sick this winter?

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, […]

Bivalent COVID-19 boosters prevent severe disease, hospitalization

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 […]

RSV expected to strain pediatric hospitals in Oregon

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 […]

New data show COVID-19 reinfections on the rise in Oregon

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 […]

Updated COVID-19 booster targets subvariants responsible for 98% of cases today

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 […]

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 […]

How does COVID-19 affect your heart?

Available in Spanish Over the last two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical experts have found that the virus can cause damage to many parts of the body. Although most people experience symptoms in their nose, throat and lungs, the virus also can damage other organs, such as the heart. “COVID-19 can […]