March 8, 2021
Spring break is nearly here. Many of us, including students, would normally be heading to the coast or out of state.
But, like last year, we are still in the pandemic – and travel, especially by plane, bus or train, increases our chances of getting and spreading COVID-19.
Case numbers in Oregon are dropping, and vaccination rates are growing. The things we are doing right now to keep ourselves, our friends, our families and communities safe are working to reduce transmission. But we should not let down our guard.
Though many of us may be getting the travel bug, across the country and around the world COVID-19 is still spreading. By avoiding travel and staying home, we can protect ourselves and others from COVID-19.
Check out our travel guidance as you make plans, and remember that:
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If you leave the state, we recommend quarantining for 14 days when you return.
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Your airline may require health information, testing or other documents.
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Local policies at your destination may require you to be tested for COVID-19.
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If you test positive on arrival, you may be required to isolate for a period of time.
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If you leave the U.S., including for Mexico, you’ll need to have a negative COVID-19 test, or documented recovery from COVID-19, before boarding a flight home. (The CDC offers more details on international travel requirements.)
This past weekend, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and All4Oregon successfully piloted a new process for scheduling a first COVID-19 appointment at the Oregon Convention Center (OCC).
The new process is being immediately rolled out this week after a weekend in which more than 1,800 people were able to secure vaccination appointments. This change is expected to speed up scheduling and reduce stress and anxiety.
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Eligible older adults who live in Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah or Washington counties who registered for a vaccine through the Get Vaccinated Oregon (GVO) tool will receive an advance email from OHA indicating they will be receiving email notification from All4Oregon inviting them to make an appointment at OCC.
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That message from OHA will be followed by an email from All4Oregon that contains a unique individualized link that connects to the All4Oregon scheduling site with open dates and times for vaccines available the next week. This link will expire if not used within five days.
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OHA will allocate 15,000 vaccines a week, about 50% more vaccines, for the next three weeks to All4Oregon to vaccinate adults 65+ in Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah and Washington counties.
If you live in another part of the state and are 65 or older you can also use the Get Vaccinated Oregon tool to register for notifications and find information about vaccination events in your area. Locations and steps to get vaccinated will differ from county to county.
If you provide Get Vaccinated Oregon with your email, please check all email inbox folders, including spam, promotion and trash, in case the invitation ends up diverted to the wrong folder.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $110 million in federal funding to assist OHA and partners in operating dozens of COVID-19 vaccination centers throughout the state.
The FEMA-supported vaccination centers will be able to administer more than two million vaccines during the 90-day operational period. Timelines are still under review.
Grants for emergency protective measures are funded through FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program, which reimburses communities for actions taken for response and recovery from a disaster. FEMA reimbursement is paid directly to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, which then makes disbursements to the local and tribal jurisdictions and state agencies that incurred costs.
There are two new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,298, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 234 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 157,515.
Today, OHA reported that 21,793 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 12,853 doses were administered on March 7 and 8,940 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on March 7. Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize.
Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 1,163,828 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 1,420,125 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (5), Clackamas (26), Columbia (2), Coos (4), Curry (1), Deschutes (7), Douglas (22), Hood River (1), Jackson (22), Josephine (5), Klamath (2), Lane (15), Lincoln (1), Linn (6), Marion (22), Multnomah (31), Polk (3), Washington (57) and Yamhill (2).
Oregon’s 2,297th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on March 5 and died on March 5 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 2,298th COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man in Douglas County who tested positive on Feb. 19 and died on March 5 at Mercy Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 119, which is three more than yesterday. There are 33 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one 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.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.
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