News & Stories for Oregonians
Testing is one of the best tools available in our multi-layered approach to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is critical to know if you have been infected after being exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of the virus so you can prevent spreading it to others.
The moment Victoria Leo learned Mercy Flights was sponsoring a drive-through vaccination clinic, she began counting the days until her appointment. On the eve of the big day, she was so excited she couldn’t sleep— And rightly so. Victoria, an author and retired psychotherapist, has an underlying condition that could make a COVID-19 infection especially dangerous.
Brittany Jordan works as a peer support specialist for DAWNS House, a sober living facility that provides support for newly sober women who are recovering from addiction. After nearly a year of hesitancy, Jordan received her second dose of Pfizer this month with her partner Austin West. They now hope to help others become vaccinated too.
When the government rolled out the COVID-19 vaccination program last spring, people were thrilled at the chance to protect themselves. But for Ketzel Levine, thrilled might be putting it mildly.
Diana, a lawyer, who lives in Brownsville, waited quite some time before getting vaccinated. A 63-year-old with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a pacemaker, she felt hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
In the early days of COVID-19, Yvonne Hall wore so much protective gear, her boyfriend joked she looked like a “space alien.” “When the disease started to hit in China, I saw it was airborne and had the mask that I wore from my previous work in a neuroscience lab rebuilt,” said Hall who lives […]
Rain Jordan describes herself as a pragmatic and “safety-first” person, so it’s not surprising that she has continued to take COVID-19 precautions, including wearing a mask when appropriate, since getting vaccinated early in the summer. A former college professor, Rain shares that having auto-immune risk factors, previous adverse reactions to vaccines and some skepticism about […]
Sharon Porter, a retired educator in La Grande, did not hesitate at all to get the COVID-19 vaccine. As a cancer patient, Sharon is grateful for the treatments that have kept her alive for many years. As Sharon explains, “I have been vaccinated for measles, smallpox, polio, shingles, flu, and all the other childhood diseases. I felt I had a load […]
Ricardo Cobar, an IT network technician for Greater Albany Public Schools, got COVID-19 in December 2020. Most of his family members also got COVID-19, but for Ricardo and his mother, the experience was life-threatening. As Ricardo shares, “My mother and I had to go to the Intensive Care Unit. I was close to death. I […]
On Aug. 25, Oregon Secretary of State posted the new vaccination rules for health care and K–12 employees in Oregon. Here’s what you need to know. COVID-19 vaccination requirement for healthcare providers and healthcare staff in healthcare settings In response to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Governor Brown and OHA officials determined […]
