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Published 5:59 PM

Oregon Health Authority recommending mask use by all in public indoor settings

MGN

Delta variant cases increase ten-fold in past two weeks.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In response to a large jump in cases and hospitalizations and new national guidance calling for masking measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, the Oregon Health Authority announced late Tuesday it is recommending universal mask use in public indoor settings throughout the state to protect Oregonians from COVID-19.

“Today’s reported sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations in Oregon are sobering reminders that the pandemic is not over, especially for Oregonians who remain unvaccinated,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist and state health officer.

“The highly contagious delta variant has increased ten-fold in the past two weeks in Oregon, and it is now estimated to be associated with 80% of the new cases in Oregon. The use of face masks provides significant protection for individuals who are unvaccinated, as well as an additional level protection from a small but known risk of infection by the virus for persons who have already been vaccinated,” Sidelinger said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who are vaccinated with currently available vaccines are protected from the virus and the circulating variants, including the delta variant that is now seen in the majority of Oregon’s new cases.

OHA’s recommendation aligns with the CDC’s new guidance issued Tuesday that everyone, including fully vaccinated persons, wear a mask in public indoor settings. OHA’s recommendation applies statewide, and not just in areas with higher infections and high transmission, as cases have increased across the state in recent weeks due to the delta variant.

OHA is continuing to call on local community and public health leaders, and businesses, to encourage vaccination and masking to prevent new outbreaks in areas of substantial and high transmission.

Gov. Kate Brown underscored the advice in a tweet late Tuesday.

"The delta variant is spreading across the country," she wrote.

"Take it from an expert like Dr. Sidelinger—vaccinated or unvaccinated, let's mask up to protect our friends, family members, and neighbors from COVID-19," Brown said. "We can stop the spread the same way we have before, together."

News / Oregon-Northwest / Top Stories

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Comments

118 Comments

        1. Go in a business enforcing the mandate and you will be. You will be put outside to stand on the sidewalk by the cops like all the rest.

        3. You’re such an idiot! Private businesses can exclude you, you will not come into my business unmasked under a new mandate or you will be arrested for trespassing.

      1. I can show you one from the CDC that states the opposite is true. The CDC report stated that mask merely mitigated the spread 1-1.5%. Which in negligible considering they could truly never have come up with that number without know the end result beforehand. How does one measure how much a virus will spread or how much a mask mitigates it with true science?????? You cannot!

      2. Google it, all kinds of real info, but it could be a study written by God and you will refute it because it doesn’t fit your agenda. And what is so hard about wearing a mask to help protect others? Be glad you don’t live in a time when you were asked by your country to storm the beaches of Normandy or islands in the Pacific. I bet those folks would gladly wear a mask instead of doing that. Grow up, and grow a backbone.

  2. “Sharp increase in hospitalizations”….hmm just read the Lantern’s report of 15 at st. chucks. You fools fall for this crap and give them power. When we do shut down again, it is the democrats fault for pushing this agenda, you losers.

        1. You targeted and re-directed my posts a dozen times. Your TOS says nothing about post limits- stop violating your own Service Agreement !

          1. We don’t limit posts, except for ones that violate TOS, and posting 2 dozen 1-letter 1-word posts fits the definition of offensive, as does posting the same thing a dozen or more times in the same story. One should make it through. But not redundant ones, wasting my time and others.

            1. I asked you numerous times about this new system- how many words are we allowed before the “limit” kicks in. You never answered- because it doesn’t exist. One only has to see how you allow Neverdumper-Kuya- and dozens of new liberal handles to post as many words- paragraphs- books as they want. You are guilty as hell of targeting my posts- the evidence mounts- your inability to rein in your own bias and prejudice has taken over- you are now acting independently and outside your service agreement with the FTC… what you are doing is false advertising… and it can get you shut down.

              1. There is no new system. There is no word limit. There is just your continual target, me. This works both ways. Who’s harassing/targeting whom?
                Good luck finding a place online that lets you do all you get away with here. That is why you stay, right?

                1. This would be the second time you have admitted in public to targeting my posts- “This works both ways”… You got number three in you ???

                2. That does not mean anything of the sort. It means you can accuse me of harassment and I accuse you of the same – not in court or some other venue, what a waste of time. I have never targeted your posts, you are treated the same as everyone else, despite your 1,000s and 1,000s of falsehoods about me and my organization.

                3. No Barney I am not being treated like everyone else. First- I am commenting on stories and articles. You chime in and want to debate (see Olympic coverage)- you don’t like my fact based data/numbers and the next thing I know- my posts are being removed. Where is the TOS violation ??? “Those” are the standards you have set- not me- and I follow them to a tee. You wanna act like Kuya-DB-Tio and get all in my face- I’ll fire right back- you know that. So why escalate this outside the TOS ? I expect to be treated like all other posters who are within the TOS- that is not happening- for five weeks now.

                4. OK, I’m done. If you cannot treat me with respect, no responses. Just keep hammering away, maybe I’ll offer an occasional fact for others, but not to you, because you don’t listen. You just enjoy hateful attacks on me. And get off on my replies. I’m stopping. NOW. Feel free to take up your false claims with whomever you think will listen. You waste enough of my time without me trying to come up with civil replies to nasty false accusations intended only to hurt me and waste my time. No longer.

              2. False advertising! Lol, throwing another tantrum? Look in the mirror pal, you might understand why everyone is tired of your false rants. Grow up and learn to discuss issues without calling others childish names like the Tea Party Trumpers do. Maybe less coffee, and talk to your doctor about anxiety meds. If you argue in calm intelligent posts you might get your point across better. Try it. Please sir/madam (I don’t actually know which it is, not an insult).

  3. Are you guys even paying attention? Deschutes County has less than 5% EVER tested positive out of 209,500 residents. That is from day 1, over a year and a half. If we shut down again, you are complicit with a sabotage of our society. Time to stand up and cut this crap out. St. Charles has 15 covid patients. Why would we start a new mask mandate? Did any of you little tools even notice that when he mask mandate was lifted your ugly governor extended her emergency powers until December? Why would she do that? They are so easily predictable. I will say, if you sit quiet, crap is going to get a lot worse on more non-science. Enjoy the ride.

    2. “Why would she do that?”

      Because she knew if the virus flared back up there would be idiot science deniers and antimaskers like the ones on these forums that she would have to help protect the rest us from.

    3. If karma was real you would be at the top of the list of the 5% .Tell the families of the 5% just how stupid you sound, O’infected with ignorance one.

      1. Oh hi Eric. Been a while. Just peel off those masks when you came out of the basement?

        You are great at name calling. Tell me again why you are calling me a babe again. Fruitcake.

      2. 5% in a year in half. Not deaths. Tested positive. With the pcr test that is not supposed to be used for diagnosis. Highly false. You see cdc is stopping its emergency use for this test in December? That was reported today. Keep up. So 5% of our county ever tested positive. Let that sink into the small brain you possess

  4. Zero chance people are going to put masks on again. There are more vaccines than people so if anyone decides not to get vaccinated, let Darwin do his work. Let the responsible people live and those who chose not to suffer the consequences. Period.

    2. If not wearing masks only endangered those not wearing them, then Id be all for it. That’s Darwin saving us. However it endangers everyone, including disproportionately children and the elderly.

      1. They can get their sacred vaxx. You sheep. You realize a store bought mask or cloth does not prevent virus transmission? Go take a freaking microbiology class you inbred.

        2. Actually they do, they catch the droplets that the virus attaches to. But you know that, you are just in a panic trying to keep your Trumper agenda going as it falls apart in front of us. Protect others, wear a mask, it’s really easy, and you may save someone else’s life.

  6. “protection from a small but known risk of infection” Sure, keep moving the goalposts. It must be hard to let go of that “power”. 2022 midterms are going to be epic! Please keep it up.

      1. This is exactly why no one listens to you because you throw out data points at are incorrectly interpreted or you just flat stupid and can’t read. The article clearly states that the higher vaccinated counties are spreading the virus because they are more densely populated, NOT because of being vaccinated. Also, it says with the new delta variant and new data shows that vaccinated people can still carry and spread the virus, hence the new mandate for masks for vaccinated people. Man, your reading comprehension is really bad. You just like to cherry pick words and numbers to try to support your crazy conspiracy theories, but any 3rd grade that can read can see right through you which is why we all just ignore the crazy town cryer spouting nonsense.

  7. Yaawn…. Somebody wake me when we get to the Zulu variant. But good job on the super scary graphic and bold font. Keep up the good work on making people scared.

    1. Even worse than that- the shocker out of LA earlier today… “Consider this: In Los Angeles County last month, vaccinated people made up one out of five new COVID cases.”… Yes- read that again- here’s the link… https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/07/26/covid-vaccination-california-counties/… CBS in Sacramento has blown the lid of the vaxer-anti-vaxer debate… it is ********* who are unknowingly spreading this virus to surging levels ! This is why masks will make a comeback- because of arrogant ********* who swore they were invincible… Tell every Demokrat who has been blaming the anti-vaxers to shut the hell up… Herd Immunity is the only way out !

        1. That term has been used by Kuya and Dumper for weeks now… Archives don’t lie- if I cut and paste the copy- the dates and all- will you resign ??? Time to man up !

          1. OK maybe I’m just sick of it because you overuse every nasty term you can think of. Judgment calls, always. That’s what a moderator is supposed to do, even under the bullying and harassment I put up with from you.

            2. Barns how come you always allow kuya and dumpster to post their vile crap? You saying they aren’t vile. They attire racists and white supremacists.

              1. Those idiots have been pouring hateful garbage on this site accusing non-vaccinated for the uptick in Delta cases- we now know that it is vaccinated (1/5th) that are doing the real spreading.

            3. I am amazed that you tolerate so many of “Swish’s” mean-spirited comments without stooping to “their” level. I do get disheartened sometimes seeing so much ignorance displayed here by some commenters. Keep up the good work, Barney and thank you.

      1. The article I posted claims that “even if you been vaccinated 1 out 5 in California are still spreading the Delta”- Barney should have never allowed the anti-vaxer brigade to spread their BS here for weeks.

  11. All this is going to do is support those who didn’t want the vaccine……they will say it doesn’t matter, still same BS even if u get shot.

      1. Man, it is just crazy at how bad your reading comprehension is. 1 in 5 vaccinated got COVID. That means the MAJORITY of those getting COVID are unvaccinated! Vaccine must be working. And those that are getting COVID after being vaccinated are the delta variant. All data provided by experts, not you and your tin hat wearing friends, shows the vaccine works. The increase in COVID cases is because of the delta variant, but those that are vaccinated and infected by delta have less severe symptoms and hospitalizations, so again the vaccine works. All that is in your own article that you post a link to, but you can get past or comprehend past the first paragraph or two. Attention deficient? Too busying harassing Barney, Or just flat out stupid like Trump?

  12. Thank you American guy you see the blue graphic the same. They want us 💩ing our pants in fear. I’d rather have 🌮 Bell be the culprit for that 🤠

      1. Trump lives on fast food so of course he eats at Taco Bell. But his favorite by far is KFC! He sticks his whole head in the bucket and gets the sauce all over his face which is why he is orange from the neck up!

  15. Hey all you hot and bothered ones (Covid is a hoax) clique.

    Read the fine print. Key word, RECOMMENDED. Pretty straightforward.

    Wear one or don’t. Quit your posturing. Stop bloviating.

  16. How’s that for the OHA putting their confidence in a mask that stops 30% of virus particles instead of a vaccine that is 97% effective? Basically the OHA has killed all motivation to vaccinate. It won’t change your life at all.

    1. “A new analysis finds several counties with above-average vaccination rates also have higher COVID case rates, while case rates are falling in counties with below-average vaccination rates.” WHAAAT ???

    2. Show me the scientific study that reports mask stop 30% of virus particles. I think you pulled that out of you ass. There is no such study and there is no such report. Show me the population that walks around with N-99 masks. Your t-shirt is not a mask and neither is your bandana. Nor are those ridiculous $5 masks you buy at the store. They are all theater. Nothing more.

  17. Sheesh… what an ugly comments section we have here. Our local Trump cult members seem to be in an especially ugly mood today, maybe because the Select Hearing on the Jan 6th Republican attack on the US Capitol was highlighted by police officers emotionally describing in great detail what a bunch of traitorous domestic terrorists Trump followers actually are.
    –
    Please don’t let these jokers get you down, a large majority of us are with you and will continue to protect your children from this virus any way we can. The dorks here arguing against masks and vaccines will either get the Delta variant, or are already vaccinated (like the entire FOX News organization is) and don’t want to admit it. Either way, who cares? America will reach herd immunity the easy way or the hard way. It’s completely up to them now, one way or the other.

    2. Our local Communist cult members refuse to see the truth for what it is. If you want to live in a communist country, move to one and see how you like it there. If you like it there, stay there.

    3. Keyster, don’t forget your ANTIFA and BLM members that were at the Capital enticing the riots. they have been documented as being there. And they have been arrested for it as well.

      1. The party of ‘personal responsibility’ is the first one to say “oh yeah, well what about some other unrelated thing you did!!”
        –
        Those people (the protesters) were standing up for the rights/safety of other Americans in the face of out-of-control violence inflicted by the government. That is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from dirtbag maga Trump cult terrorists attempting to overthrow a free and fair election. We all watched it live on TV, no amount of denial will change the fact that you republicans will stoop to domestic terrorism when your completely not-popular dogma loses by a landslide from here on out, forever and ever amen. But yeah, keep pointing fingers instead of admitting your own complete moral collapse.

  21. On January 21, the day after inauguration day, the WHO came forward and admitted that the cycling for the PCR test was set too high at 40+ cycles. 17 cycles is what it’s supposed to have been set at. This resulted in a majority of false positives. The cycling for the PCR test has yet to be reduced.
    Furthermore, the PCR test was not designed, or meant, to diagnose a disease. So they can stuff their case count lies.

  22. I wear my mask while showering and sleeping because I do everything that the guvment tells me to do. I would jump off a bridge, with my mask on, if Joey Biden told me to.

  25. Could the people who have gotten the jab, actually be where the virus is mutating, and now they are the ones spreading the Delta variant, I have noticed a lot of Olympians are testing positive for the Delta variant, and they have been vaccinated, and spreading it to other vaccinated Olympians, no unvaccinated peoples involved, this may get a lot worse as we may be seeing that one of the long term effects is the the viruses ability to mutate in people that have been vaccinated, why else would everyone be required to where a mask? So the experimentation continues. This may go the wrong way fast, or from what is being seen, is going the wrong way fast.
    Google
    Can I still get the Delta variant if I’m vaccinated?
    If I’m vaccinated, can I get sick with Delta? Yes, but don’t panic. The vaccines are effective against the delta variant, and though it’s still possible to get infected, the vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of serious illness that leads to hospitalization or death. Jul 17, 2021

    What’s up next, the Echo variant, and what will that entail? We may find that we probably should have let nature run it’s course, if you believe this DID NOT come from a lab in CHINA. Man has a history of making bad decisions, that were supposedly for our own good.

    1. I have a question. I read an article a week or so ago. Seven Ivy League universities conducted a study of 1500 people who had confirmed Covid 19 tests. When the universities tested the samples using sophisticated methods and not the PCR test, all they found was Influenza A and Influenza B. So they contacted CDC and asked for isolated samples of Covid 19. CDC told them Covid 19 has never been isolated and they had no samples to give them. So, my question is, if Covid 19 has never been isolated and identified, how can there be a Delta Variant? Another question: I have had all my overseas shots for traveling and working in third world countries. With those vaccinations I am protected from getting the baddies. Why don’t the Covid vaccines work like vaccines? So confusing.

    2. Have you asked your doctor any of this? If not, why bring your problems here. Shut up and call your doctor, and stop looking at Facebook. Frikn boomers. Seriously.

  27. You’re such an idiot! Private businesses can exclude you, you will not come into my business unmasked under a new mandate or you will be arrested for trespassing.

  28. To all the anti mask people out there I get your frustration. I hate wearing them too. My father especially hates them when he is doing a 7 hour operation on someones spine. He has yet to have a single patient tell him to take his stupid mask off. Can you guess why he is required to wear a mask during surgery? Now, lets see where this argument goes and how far this can be twisted around. Seems that the only argument left is that yes, masks prevent the spread of virus and bacteria, but I am not afraid of the consequences and I don’t care who I infect. The reason a surgeon wears a mask is due to the dire consequences of not wearing one. Perhaps people who infect others should be held liable just like my father is. That would be a hard one to prove though.

    1. Nice try bud, but masks are worn during operations for spit and saliva dripping into an open wound, not for airborne virus transmission. If that was a factor they would need to operate in a fully enclosed virus transmission suit just like every bio hazard level lab technician uses.

  29. Nice try, the virus is in the spit and other droplets, thank you for proving they work. The virus isn’t just floating around, it is attached to droplets from humans.

    1. You are correct. Viruses always attach to other particles, however it does float around as to why transmission occurs in air vs on surfaces. Plenty of studies have shown this. T-shirt material (90% of masks worn now) do nothing to stop airborne viruses. University of Louisville has already proven mask mandates do nothing to slow the spread.
      https://www.ormanager.com/briefs/university-of-louisville-study-finds-mask-mandates-did-not-slow-spread-of-covid-19/

      In fact mask mandates look like they may be contributing to the spread for various other reasons.

      https://www.contagionlive.com/view/the-common-cold-helps-protect-against-covid-19

        1. You may actually want to read the studies linked vs just the title. You may actually have some accurate information than. Careful, it may not fit with your narrative however.

          1. Yeah, I have looked at studies and skimmed thru the Louisville study. It’s too bad they couldn’t control for mask type, because many aren’t very effective, which of course would mean that mandates can’t be very effective either. Personally, I use masks that are N-95 rated, which should help. I saw another study that stated surgical masks aren’t very effective, either, but they are ingrained into our “medical culture”.

            I noticed above you brought up the effect of immigrants and thought immediately about all the tourists that are jammed into Bend. I have to wonder how many cases they bring about locally.

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