Health
Health Care Heroes: OHSU’s Covid hotline helps to save lives
Seven days a week, nurses are ready with answers on a special hotline established to help Oregonians deal with Covid. Hundreds of calls come through every day on the free Covid hotline created in March 2020 by Oregon Health & Science University. By phone, nurses work to answer questions about the coronavirus and help those […]
New Oregon forecast dials back hospitalizations for Covid – but still an omicron surge
Oregon’s bout with the omicron variant of the coronavirus will be less severe than expected but hospitalizations are still forecast to reach a system-straining peak in February. Oregon Health & Science University said in a statement Thursday that the forecast was modified to account for “expected booster shots and behavior modifications by Oregonians to reduce […]
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 […]
To protect elderly, advocacy group wants boosters mandated in Oregon long-term care facilities
The advocacy group Disability Rights Oregon is asking leaders of the Oregon Health Authority and the state Human Services Department to mandate booster doses for employees in nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Oregon. The state’s nearly 700 long-term care facilities with approximately 40,000 residents accounted for the highest share of deaths from Covid-19 […]
Oregon faces short staffing and not enough customers to inject 1 million booster shots
Oregon officials are still working out details on how they will get 1 million booster doses into the arms of Oregonians by the end of January in the scramble to head off a feared surge of the omicron variant. Gov. Kate Brown announced the ambitious goal just last Friday after getting an alarming new forecast […]
In D.C.: Biden slams Covid-19 vaccine ‘lies,’ announces free at-home tests
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged that COVID-19 vaccine doubters stop “peddling lies” on TV and online, as the nation grapples with a rising number of cases due to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Biden also announced new federal help for testing and treatment in the states, including 500 million at-home rapid test […]
Oregon’s fourth omicron case emerges in Lane County
Lane County has detected its first case of omicron. The person is in their 20s and had been traveling in the United States before testing for the virus, health officials said. “The confirmation of omicron in Lane County reminds (us of) several important truths,” according to a statement from Dr. Patrick Luedtke, senior public health […]
Governor, health experts brace Oregonians for a serious impact from Omicron by February
In the past week, the Covid-19 outlook for Oregon shifted dramatically, with the state now facing the prospect of having the highest surge yet of infections and hospitalizations. A new forecast by Oregon Health & Science University indicates that more than 3,000 people would need to be hospitalized in Oregon by early February, surpassing the […]
Forecast predicts Omicron will take a heavy toll in Oregon
Oregon is facing a surge from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that by early February could put twice as many people in the hospital as the Delta variant, state officials announced Friday. That forecast, by Oregon Health & Science University, comes as infections and hospitalization from the Delta variant are waning. The forecast shows […]
Many parents in Oregon resist having their younger children vaccinated against Covid-19
Demand for Covid vaccinations for children remains low in many areas of Oregon, leaving kids 5 to 11 vulnerable to the coronavirus, according to state reports and health officials. The state has an estimated 337,000 children in that age group, and as of Dec. 14, just over one in four had received the vaccine. Health […]
State audit finds $1.6 million in likely inappropriate Medicaid payments related to hospital stays
A state audit of Medicaid payments by the Oregon Health Authority found that $1.6 million was likely spent on services that were not allowed while patients were in the hospital. The audit was narrow: The Secretary of State’s office studied payments related to 25 people who were hospitalized for at least three days between January […]
As health officials expected, Omicron detected in Oregon but few details available
Omicron has come to Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority announced Monday evening that the highly infectious strain had been detected in three people in their 20s or 30s who have been fully vaccinated. The agency did not release any details about their identities, including their gender. The agency also said it does not yet have […]