COVID-19
Oregon buys 6 million at-home test kits to give away free through community outlets
SALEM – The Oregon Health Authority has ordered 6 million home test kits to be given away free to help detect the coronavirus, the agency announced Thursday. The kits, each containing two tests, will be sent to health agencies, schools and community organizations to distribute. They also will go to farm and agricultural workers, health […]
Oregonians can directly question state government about omicron in Thursday event
SALEM – Oregonians can ask government officials directly about booster shots and the omicron variant of the coronavirus in a midday Facebook event on Thursday, Dec. 23. This is the chance for residents instead of the press to question a top state official about these matters. The live Q&A is scheduled to start at 12:30 […]
With thousands facing eviction from their homes, Oregon Legislature coming to the rescue
Salem resident Christy Hernandez wants Oregon legislators to know the state failed her. In March, the mother of three young boys wrote to lawmakers urging them to give families like hers more time to catch up on back rent tand protect them from eviction as they struggled with pandemic-caused job losses. That legislation ultimately passed, […]
At-home COVID tests to be covered by insurance—but details still to come
WASHINGTON — State health officials on Thursday welcomed the Biden administration’s plan to require private health insurers to reimburse Americans for the cost of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests – though the officials also raised questions about whether the process will be burdensome. Making those tests more accessible will allow Americans to get results quickly and […]
Federal vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 states blocked by judge
WASHINGTON — Enforcement of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for millions of health care workers was blocked in 10 states on Monday, after a ruling by a federal judge in Missouri. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp affects the states involved in the lawsuit, which include Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and New Hampshire. The […]
Oregon National Guard member accused of sexual harassment while deployed at OHSU
UPDATED: Friday, Oct. 22 at 5:25 p.m. A member of the Oregon National Guard is under investigation following allegations of sexual harassment of staff at Oregon Health & Science University. A spokesman for the guard, Major Chris Clyne, told the Oregon Capital Chronicle that the man was accused of sexually harassing more than one staff […]
New lawsuit seeks injunction against Covid-19 vaccine mandate
Gov. Kate Brown is facing yet another lawsuit seeking to end her Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Lawyers for five corrections officers filed the case in Baker County Circuit Court on Wednesday. Four of the plaintiffs work at Powder River Correctional Facility, a minimum security 128-bed prison in Baker City, and the fifth, who lives in Idaho, works […]
Dire warnings about the vaccine mandate unlikely to play out in Oregon
Rural officials have warned for more than a month that the vaccine mandate would put some Oregonians at risk as employees resigned or were fired. That mandate took hold Monday, covering tens of thousands of state employees, health care workers and school staff. Not long after Gov. Kate Brown imposed that mandate in August, Baker […]
In D.C.: FDA panel recommends booster shot of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans who received Moderna’s two-shot Covid-19 vaccine are expected to be eligible soon for booster shots, after a federal advisory panel on Thursday recommended a third dose for older and higher-risk adults as well as certain workers. The unanimous recommendation from the Food and Drug Administration vaccine panel came a few […]