covid

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FRITZ LIEDTKE/OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY

Analysis: Necessary Or Not, COVID Booster Shots Are Probably On The Horizon

Booster shots are likely to be here before long because of the outdated, 60-year-old basic standard the Food and Drug Administration uses to authorize medicines for sale.

Jul 21, 2021

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Multnomah County worked to vaccinate people of color and people experiencing homelessness. | MOTOYA NAKAMURA/MULTNOMAH COUNTY

Oregon Has Quarter Million Vaccinations To Go To Hit Goal For Racial Minorities

The vaccination rate target for minorities – as well as for whites – recedes into the distance as fewer and fewer people are receiving shots each day.

Jul 20, 2021
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Rural farm in Oregon outside La Grande. | SHUTTERSTOCK

The Delta Variant Has Arrived In Eastern Oregon

The question for health experts is not if the latest and most contagious strain of COVID-19 will spread through communities, but how large the outbreak will be.

Jul 14, 2021

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People who are interested in helping others get vaccinated are often referred to as “vaccine fairies” on the social site, Reddit. Amanda Blum of Portland says she has helped about 200 people get vaccination appointments after they contacted her for support via her Reddit post./Kristyna Wentz-Graff/OPB

Portland 'Vaccine Fairy' Helps People Overcome Obstacles

A Portland woman has helped people overcome their fears and surmount obstacles in a drive to increase the vaccination rate.

Jul 5, 2021

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SHUTTERSTOCK

New Research Finds J&J Vaccine Has Muscle Against COVID'S Delta Variant

Experts say the Delta variant is 40% to 50% more transmissible than other variants, which means that unvaccinated people can more easily catch it and vaccinated people face a higher risk of a breakthrough infection.

Jul 5, 2021

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GOV. KATE BROWN HOLDS OPENING UP CEREMONY AT PROVIDENCE PARK./KRISTYNA WENTZ GRAFF/OPB

Brown A 'Bag Of Emotions' As Restrictions Lifted

Brown faced questions about lagging vaccination rates among people of color, with about 45% of Black people, Latinos and Native Americans vaccinated compared with 60% for whites.

Jun 30, 2021

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MIKA BAUMEISTER/UNSPLASH

Restrictions Lifted But What About The Pandemic?

Infectious disease experts warn there is the potential for flareups with the presence of highly infectious variants and the risk of others emerging that could evade vaccines.

Jun 30, 2021
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SHARON MCCUTCHEON ON UNSPLASH

COVID's Lingering Effects Can Put the Brakes on Elective Surgeries

As the number of people who have had COVID grows, medical experts are trying to determine when it’s safe for them to have elective surgery.

Jun 28, 2021

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Biden Quietly Transforms Medicaid Safety Net

Officials are engineering a series of expansions to Medicaid that may bolster protections for millions of low-income Americans and bring more people into the program.

Jun 24, 2021

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Black and Hispanic Americans Suffer Most in Biggest US Decline in Life Expectancy Since WWII

In addition to the death toll and people suffering persistent symptoms, the pandemic has threatened the health of vulnerable people who've been devastated by the loss of jobs, homes and opportunities for the future.

Jun 24, 2021