With the delta variant surging in the state, public health officials are urging the public to resume mask use and get vaccinated.
Aug 1, 2021
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State health officials are racing to win federal approval of Oregon Health Plan changes before Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, shown at the Oregon Convention Center vaccination site, leaves office.
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KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB
Delta has kept some of the most successful mutations found in earlier variants, but also contains new genetic changes that enable it to spread twice as fast.
Some Oregon schools are now requiring masks this fall, and the CDC is recommending that people in most parts of the country wear face coverings indoors in public places.
Firefighters were among the first to get access to the vaccines during the national rollout earlier in the year, but they are not required to be vaccinated for their job.
State health officials called on local public health officials in areas with low rates to work with businesses and others to encourage inoculation.
Jul 22, 2021
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Smoke from wildfires burning through bone dry forests and grasslands in the West covered the city of Helena, Montana on Sunday./Matt Volz/Kaiser Health News)