News & Stories for Oregonians
Today, officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened medical experts to discuss whether to recommend that people who’ve previously been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should receive a booster shot to help maintain the effectiveness of their vaccinations over time. At today’s hearing, the committee recommended that people age 65 and […]
For many people, Labor Day is a final opportunity to celebrate summer. Barbecues, gatherings with our friends, and last chance summer travels fill our plans. Once again, the COVID-19 pandemic means this holiday weekend will need to look different. You may have already made plans for the Labor Day weekend before Oregon saw cases and hospitalizations surge. If your plans involve outdoor large gatherings or indoor activities that put you and others at risk […]
Oregon continues to see high rates of COVID-19 patients being hospitalized. Our front line health care workers, and all of those who keep the hospitals running, like janitors, security staff, cafeteria personnel and those who greet the public, put themselves in the path of the rapidly spreading Delta variant every day. They are moms and dads. They are […]
In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized more than 300 COVID-19 tests and sample collection devices for use in laboratories, health care settings, and at home. As of Aug. 27, over 400 tests and collection devices have been approved. These include: At-home antigen tests: You collect the sample and do the testing […]
Following the release of new data about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has strengthened its vaccine recommendation for pregnant people. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people ages 12 and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now or […]
Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that reports to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) indicate a small risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following receipt of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. About 100 preliminary reports of GBS have been filed with VAERS after the administration of 12.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine. The cases were largely […]
This weekend will mark the first holiday in over 15 months without COVID-19 restrictions in place. While that’s cause for celebration, there is also still reason to stay cautious. People who have not yet been fully vaccinated — including children under 12 who can’t yet get the vaccine — are still vulnerable to the virus. […]
Through May 31, Oregon Health Authority has identified 1,009 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases. In May, there were 16,097 cases of COVID-19 and 98% of these cases were among people who were unvaccinated. More than 9 in 10 of the 126 COVID-19 associated deaths in May were among people who were not vaccinated. The majority of […]
This article is an extended version of a story that originally aired in the May 3, 2021 issue of Oregon Coronavirus Update. We’ve noticed that there’s been some confusion online about whether an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is the same as approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Let’s get into it and start […]
We’ve seen some talk online about COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases. While these cases are rare, we’ll use this blog post to break down what a breakthrough case is, why they occur and how state and nationwide health authorities are responding. COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases are defined as instances in which an […]
