Dec. 22, 2020
It’s a question we get a lot. “What is considered outdoors?” That’s because spending time with people outdoors is a lower risk activity than spending time with people indoors, so many businesses have moved into the fresh air. Some businesses, like restaurants and bars, have put up temporary structures as weather protection. Some of these structures allow for airflow and are safer alternatives than being inside, but some don’t allow enough airflow and can be as dangerous as sharing indoor air.
In order to limit the spread of COVID-19 it’s important to understand what “outdoor” means when used in OHA guidance. Outdoor means any open-air space with at least 75% of the square footage of its sides open for airflow. Outdoor spaces may have a temporary or fixed cover, like an awning or roof.
A fully enclosed tent or structure does not allow enough airflow to protect against virus transmission.
Here are some examples of structures that would be considered outdoors:
Last minute shopping is common during the holiday season, but it can be stressful. The pressure of needing to finish up quickly can interfere with the habits we’ve formed for preventing COVID-19.
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Remember to take a minute to think about what you need before leaving home. Making a list can help you to plan out your trip and allow you to find what you need quickly rather than browsing for a long time indoors.
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Try to think of two or three places where you can get what you need. That way if one store looks too busy, you know where to try next.
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Try curbside pickup. Ordering ahead online, and then just driving to pick up can save a lot of time and lower your risk of getting COVID-19.
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Keep a spare mask in your bag in case you forget to grab one before going out.
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Pay attention to how stores are set up for COVID-19. Are there clear signs, arrows or markings on the floor for physical distancing, are they monitoring occupancy? If they aren’t, then consider shopping somewhere else.
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Stay home and make something. Getting a letter, card or a homemade gift certificate with a promise to do something together when it’s safe are great presents!
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Remember that protecting your health and the health of your loved ones is the best gift you can give.
Do friends and family rely on you to make the holidays festive? Are you the household menu planner, cookie baker, gift buyer, card sender, decorator? All that unpaid, often unnoticed work that keeps everyone around you happy and comfortable is sometimes called emotional labor. It tends to increase over the holidays, and this year the pandemic adds to the pressure.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here are some ways to manage stress and balance your workload.
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Shorten your to-do list — Focus on what’s most meaningful about the holiday to you and your family. This year is a good time to let some things go.
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Take a break — Go for a short walk, sit quietly with a cup of tea or coffee or call a friend to chat.
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Breathe — When you’re anxious, your breathing tends to get fast and shallow. Taking slow, deep breaths can help you feel calmer.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) wants to make sure that we understand how well we are serving people in Oregon. One of the best ways we have to understand how severely communities are impacted by COVID-19, is by looking at the data.
Oregon health care providers who see a patient for a visit related to COVID-19 have begun asking patients for demographic information. This information is provided to OHA. Those questions are about race, ethnicity, language and disability. They are called REALD questions and they help OHA understand more about the individuals and communities most affected by COVID-19.
Looking at REALD data, OHA can:
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Work to improve access to testing, medical care and vaccinations,
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Design culturally appropriate and accessible interventions to improve testing, prevention and medical care, and
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Better allocate resources and power to address identified inequities.
It may feel uncomfortable to have these questions asked. Here are some things to know about REALD questions:
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We ask everyone.
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Answering the questions is a choice. You are not required to answer them.
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You can choose which to answer – all of the questions, some of the questions or none of the questions.
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The information collected during encounters related to COVID-19 are kept confidential and cannot be publicly disclosed.
Governor Kate Brown held a media briefing today with Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Pat Allen and OHA Public Health Director Rachael Banks.
Governor Brown addressed the mixed feelings many of us are experiencing as we head into the holiday season, acknowledging the sad reality that most traditional celebrations have been shuttered this year while Oregon coronavirus cases have surpassed the 100,000 mark. Despite the grim tally, Governor Brown shared some hopeful news.
“This week, we began administering vaccinations to long-term care residents and staff – finally putting us in a position of offense for our most hard-hit Oregonians,” said Governor Brown. “It feels really good that we are now able to start these vaccinations, with the hope that these folks can reunite with their families once again and feel safe from the virus soon.”
Following Governor Brown’s remarks, OHA Director Patrick Allen provided an update on the first week of Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, which are ramping up across the state.
“By the end of last week, Oregon received the full 35,100 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine promised by the federal government,” said Allen. “We distributed the vaccine to 16 hospitals across the state.”
An additional 12,100 doses of the Moderna vaccine – which received Emergency Use Authorization from the federal government over the weekend – arrived in Oregon yesterday, allowing for 7,203 Oregonians to receive their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. While it’s comforting to know that vaccines are on the horizon, both Governor Brown and Director Allen reminded Oregonians that physical distancing, masking up and avoiding indoor, crowded places remain absolutely critical in quelling the spread of COVID-19.
Many of you have been following the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines closely and have asked us some great questions about them. Last week we held a Facebook Live event with Public Health Director Rachael Banks, and Senior Health Advisor Dr. Paul Cieslak, to answer your questions. Here are the time stamps for the questions that were asked during last week’s FB live. Watch the video here.
19:00 – Can vaccinated people transmit COVID to or infect non-vaccinated people? I heard the vaccine stops symptoms but not transmission.
20:40 – Will the various groups be announced so people know when to go to their doctors or pharmacists to receive their shots?
21:22 – How long will the vaccine protect someone from COVID? How often does it need to be re-administered?
22:00 – What happens if we don’t get 70% of people to get the vaccine?
22:54 – Will the side effects from the vaccine be the same in a healthy person as they would in a person with underlying conditions?
23:35 – Is the vaccine live or dead?
24:11 – Should I get vaccinated even if I’ve already had COVID?
25:15 – Is it true the FDA has not approved the vaccine but merely authorized it for emergency use? What’s the difference?
26:35 – Will kids be required to get the vaccine to go back to school when schools open for in-person instruction?
27:09 – How will health care workers who don’t work at hospitals or clinics receive the vaccine?
27:54 – Do you have any estimates for vaccine deliveries for January and February?
28:18 – Will the vaccine be available at no cost?
29:00 – When someone is given the vaccine, do they need to remain isolated from the general public for a certain amount of time?
29:20 – Are both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines effective in the elderly? Is one more effective than the other?
30:03 – Will people have a choice which COVID vaccine they receive?
30:53 – If someone recently got the flu shot and then gets the COVID vaccine, will this cause a strong reaction or complications? Has this been seen in clinical trials?
31:27 – What’s your best guess for when we’ll get to group 1B?
COVID-19 has claimed 35 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,382, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 1,282 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 105,073.
Vaccinations in Oregon: OHA will be providing daily updates on administered doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Oregon on its vaccination data dashboard.
Yesterday, 2,573 doses of vaccine were administered, raising the state’s total number of first vaccine doses to 7,203. All vaccinations occurred at Oregon hospitals and long-term care facilities.
The dashboard will provide updates on the number of people partially and fully vaccinated, along with key demographic information showing race, ethnicity, sex and age of everyone who has been vaccinated.
The dashboard also shows information by county.
COVID-19 hospitalizations: The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 524, which is four fewer than yesterday. There are 119 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (9), Benton (10), Clackamas (168), Clatsop (2), Columbia (11), Coos (12), Crook (7), Curry (4), Deschutes (52), Douglas (6), Grant (1), Hood River (20), Jackson (63), Jefferson (20), Josephine (4), Klamath (23), Lake (2), Lane (85), Lincoln (6), Linn (32), Malheur (17), Marion (161), Morrow (4), Multnomah (258), Polk (34), Tillamook (12), Umatilla (49), Union (10), Wasco (5), Washington (153), Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (41).
Here is more information on the deaths reported today:
Oregon’s 1,348th COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old woman in Benton County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Dec. 21 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,349th COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 20 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,350th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Crook County who tested positive on Dec. 11 and died on Dec. 20. Location of death is being confirmed. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,351st COVID-19 death is a 50-year-old man in Curry County who tested positive on Dec. 11 and died on Dec. 21 at Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,352nd COVID-19 death is a 41-year-old woman in Hood River County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 21 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 1,353rd COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old man in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 18 at Asante Rogue Valley Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,354th COVID-19 death is a 64-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 12 and died on Dec. 17 at Providence Medford Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,355th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 3 and died on Dec. 19 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 1,356th COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 21 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,357th COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 2 and died on Dec. 15 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,358th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 28 and died on Dec. 15 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,359th COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 5 and died on Dec. 16 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,360th COVID-19 death is a 62-year-old man in Benton County who tested positive on Dec. 14 and died on Dec. 18 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,361st COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 3 and died on Dec. 21 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,362nd COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 2 and died on Dec. 20 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,363rd COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 12 and died on Dec. 13 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,364th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 19 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,365th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Morrow County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 18 at Trios Health. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 1,366th COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Dec. 1. Location of death is being confirmed. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,367th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Dec. 8 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,368th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Dec. 5. Location of death is being confirmed. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,369th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Dec. 18. Location of death is being confirmed. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,370th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man in Columbia County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Dec. 17 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 1,371st COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Dec. 8. Location of death and gender are being confirmed. This person had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,372nd COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Dec. 8. Location of death and gender are being confirmed. This person had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,373rd COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 25 and died on Dec. 14 at Adventist Hospital. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,374th COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 22 and died on Dec. 16. Location of death is being confirmed. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,375th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 13 and died on Dec. 10 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 1,376th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Dec. 21 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,377th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 19 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,378th COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 25 and died on Dec. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,379th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 18 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,380th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old woman in Washington County who became symptomatic on Dec. 12 after contact with a confirmed case and died on Dec. 7 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,381st COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Dec. 19 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,382nd COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Dec. 4 and died on Dec. 20 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Mental and emotional resources for difficult times:
- Mental and emotional health resources are available on OHA's Safe + Strong website.
- Or call the Safe + Strong Helpline at 800-923-4357 (800-923-HELP). The line offers free, 24-7 emotional support and resource referral to anyone who needs it — not only those experiencing a mental health crisis.
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