How keeping our distance helps students keep learning in-person this school year

Every layer matters. The more distance there is between people, the less likely that virus-filled droplets will pass from one person to another.

Taking extra precautions while dating during COVID-19  

Across Oregon, college students are returning to campuses and finding that dating and relationships are different than before the  COVID-19 pandemic. Taking precautions to protect oneself and others from acquiring or spreading COVID-19 continues to be an important part of our everyday lives.    But, with the availability of vaccines and testing there is a natural desire to want to return to “normal,” to do the everyday activities we enjoy […]

Current COVID-19 data shows promise, but the Delta variant is ‘far from finished’

Today, the Oregon Health Authority’s Dr. Dean Sidelinger shared promising news about COVID-19 hospitalization and case rates, but also warned that we still need to work together to help Oregon defeat the pandemic. As Dr. Sidelinger reminds us, “Our ability to sustain this hopeful progress and ultimately regain the upper hand over the coming weeks, […]

Thanking our health care workers as hospitalizations are high across the state

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 […]

With vaccinations, precautions, and care, we can reverse the surge

As we see an increase in cases and hospitalizations, many of us may be remembering how we have flattened the curve when our hospitals and health care systems were threatened in the past. Let’s recommit to taking steps to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities. We can rise to the challenge. Get vaccinated […]

Outdoor mask mandate issued for most public outdoor settings

On Aug. 13, Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority leaders enacted an indoor masking mandate in response to surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Today, Governor Brown announced a new rule would extend that mask requirement to outside areas. “The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis […]

Newest COVID-19 modeling report shows sharply higher increases in daily cases and hospitalizations

On July 30, OHA released its latest COVID-19 forecast, which projected sharply higher COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and daily cases through Aug. 17.   According to the model, the effective reproduction rate, meaning the expected number of secondary cases that a single case generates, was estimated at 1.58 through July 14, which is more than double the 0.74 reported through mid-June.   If transmission remains […]

With cases increasing in Oregon, consider taking precautions

You may be wondering why cases are increasing in Oregon. As we’ve seen across the world, cases caused by the Delta variant are spreading in unvaccinated communities.   Here’s what you need to know about the spread of COVID-19:  Vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 and all of its variants.  If […]

Oregon’s reopening: Questions answered in Facebook Live

Note: On July 27, 2021, in response to a large jump in cases and hospitalizations and new national guidance calling for masking measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the Oregon Health Authority recommended universal mask use in public indoor settings throughout the state to protect Oregonians from COVID-19. You can […]

What does reopening Oregon really mean?

Note: On July 27, 2021, in response to a large jump in cases and hospitalizations and new national guidance calling for masking measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the Oregon Health Authority recommended universal mask use in public indoor settings throughout the state to protect Oregonians from COVID-19. You can […]