COVID vaccines becoming tougher to find in some parts of Oregon
Vaccines have suddenly become scarce in some parts of Oregon after months of vaccine surplus in the state and across that nation, officials said.
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Oregon reports 25 more COVID-19 related deaths, 1,111 new cases
There are 25 newly reported COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,186, the Oregon Health Authority reported Wednesday.
Continue ReadingFirst confirmed US case of Omicron coronavirus variant detected in California
By Kaitlan Collins, Jacqueline Howard and Betsy Klein, CNN The United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in California. In a White House news briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the case was in an individual who traveled from South
Continue ReadingDozens of Oregon workers fired for not getting COVID shot
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Officials in Oregon say at least 99 state workers have been fired for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. KOIN reports the figures from the Department of Administrative Services show that out of more than 40,000 state workers, 84.7% received the vaccine and 12.2% were exempt on religious or medical grounds.
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OHA confirms it’s developing voluntary, optional vaccine verification phone app
The Oregon Health Authority confirmed Tuesday it is developing a voluntary and optional digital vaccine verification smartphone app, to provide Oregonians an electronic way to share their vaccination status with businesses that ask for proof of verification.
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Oregon reports 19 more COVID-19 related deaths, 1,054 new cases; 6 million vaccine doses given
There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,161, the Oregon Health Authority reported Tuesday.
Continue ReadingFDA advisers vote to recommend authorization of a pill to treat Covid-19
By Maggie Fox and Jen Christensen, CNN Advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted 13-10 Tuesday to recommend emergency use authorization of a pill made by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to help treat Covid-19. Members of the FDA’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee were split in their vote to recommend molnupiravir, which can reduce
Continue ReadingBiden suffers string of court setbacks as administration’s vaccine mandates are put on hold
By Tierney Sneed The Biden administration has suffered three major court losses since Monday morning, with orders freezing key federal government Covid-19 vaccine rules in certain parts of the country and, in one case, nationwide. The latest blow came from a federal judge in Louisiana, whose order Tuesday afternoon halted across the country the administration’s
Continue ReadingOregon rural health care providers to receive $118 million in federal COVID relief funds
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced Tuesday that 481 rural health providers in Oregon will receive a total of $118,654,854 for COVID relief under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
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Oregon reports 27 more COVID-19 related deaths, 2,598 new cases over 5-day holiday period
There were 27 newly reported COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon over the five-day Thanksgiving period, including one from Jefferson County, raising the state’s death toll to 5,142, the Oregon Health Authority reported Monday.
Continue ReadingAdministration working with vaccine manufacturers to ‘develop contingency plans’ amid new variant
CNN By Betsy Klein and Maegan Vazquez, CNN The Biden administration is coordinating with Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to develop contingency plans in the event future coronavirus vaccines need to be modified, including to fight the Omicron variant, the White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator said Tuesday. In the first briefing from the White House’s Covid-19 team
Continue ReadingPfizer expected to seek FDA authorization for boosters for those ages 16 and 17
By Kaitlan Collins and Paul LeBlanc, CNN Pfizer is expected to seek authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its vaccine booster shot for those who are ages 16 and 17, a source familiar with the plan told CNN on Monday. Currently only those 18 and up are eligible for booster shots six
Continue ReadingOmicron poses 3 major threats to the US economy, says Jerome Powell
By David Goldman, CNN Business Here we go again. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is set to testify Tuesday that the Omicron variant threatens America’s economic recovery. Much remains unknown about Omicron. Yet if it prolongs the pandemic, it could keep prices rising, hurt job growth and make the supply chain crisis worse. “The recent
Continue ReadingPentagon denies Oklahoma governor’s request and insists National Guard members must be vaccinated
By Ellie Kaufman and Oren Liebermann, CNN Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin denied a request from Oklahoma’s governor to exempt his state’s National Guard members from the Pentagon’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Austin emphasized that the vaccine mandate is a lawful order that promotes “the health, safety and readiness of our military personnel, regardless of duty
Continue ReadingWhy WHO skipped two letters of the Greek alphabet in naming Omicron
CNN By Faith Karimi, CNN The naming of the new coronavirus variant Omicron is causing some confusion. Since May the World Health Organization has been using letters of the Greek alphabet, in order, to name coronavirus variants. Delta was the most dominant one, followed by eight others — including Epsilon, Iota and Lambda — that
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Deschutes County offering free COVID-19 drive-thru clinic at fairgrounds for anyone 5 and older
Deschutes County Health Services has announced it is partnering with the Oregon Health Authority to offer free drive-thru COVID-19 vaccines for anyone 5 or older, beginning Tuesday at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond.
Continue ReadingBiden says new Omicron variant is ’cause for concern, not a cause for panic’
By Kaitlan Collins and Kate Sullivan, CNN President Joe Biden on Monday said the new Omicron coronavirus variant is “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” as federal health officials brace for the first cases of the new variant to be detected in the US. “Sooner or later we’re going to see cases of
Continue ReadingVaccine mandate for some health care workers blocked in 10 states
By Tierney Sneed A federal judge in Missouri issued an order Monday partially blocking the Biden administration from implementing a vaccine mandate for certain health care workers. The judge’s order, which covers the 10 states that brought the case, played down the effectiveness of the vaccines and said that the “public would suffer little, if
Continue ReadingAdministration tells some agencies they can delay firings of unvaccinated federal employees until after the holidays
By Kaitlan Collins and Maegan Vazquez, CNN The Office of Management and Budget is telling some federal agencies they can delay firing their employees who refuse to get vaccinated until after the holidays, an official confirmed to CNN, as an “education and counseling period” for non-compliant workers continues in December. An OMB spokesman said that
Continue ReadingThere’s a new coronavirus variant circulating. Here’s what you can do to stay safe
CNN By Theresa Waldrop, CNN As the world waits to learn how the Omicron variant might impact the global Covid-19 pandemic, it’s easy to get caught up in the unknowns. Instead, health officials are reminding us of the simple yet effective tools we all have to combat the virus. Here’s a refresher on how to
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