In this issue:

• COVID-19 test requirement dropped for Paxlovid
• REMINDER: Feb. 15 deadline for children to get immunizations
• COVID-19 vaccination schedule at a glance
• A reader shares thoughts on how COVID-19 changed them
• COVID-19, respiratory virus situation improving in Oregon
• OHA releases monthly COVID-19 data
• Q & A
• OHA's COVID-19 resources

COVID-19 test requirement dropped for Paxlovid

It just got easier to get antiviral medication for COVID-19. Effective Feb. 1, people no longer have to test positive for COVID-19 in order to receive the oral antiviral medications Paxlovid or Lagevrio (molnupiravir). The U.S. Food & Drug Administration lifted the testing requirement so that health care providers can base treatment decisions on symptoms and exposure history to diagnose and treat COVID-19. These antivirals medications are recommended for people with mild to severe COVID-19 symptoms who are at high risk of severe illness. They must be taken within five days of symptom onset.

Check out our blog to learn more about COVID-19 treatments and how to get them.

REMINDER: Feb. 15 deadline for children to get immunizations

All children in Oregon’s public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities must have up-to-date documentation on their required immunizations or have an exemption by Feb. 15, School Exclusion Day. If parents and caregivers do not provide those records to their child’s school by Feb. 15, the child will be sent home unless they have an exemption.

“We recently saw several measles cases in the Northwest, and Central Ohio  experienced a severe measles outbreak with more than 30 unvaccinated children hospitalized,” said Stacy de Assis Matthews, school law coordinator at OHA’s Public Health Division. “There also were recent polio cases in New York state. We don’t want another disease outbreak in Oregon on top of COVID-19. Immunizations are the most effective way to stop the spread of measles and other diseases, to keep kids and school communities healthy and safe.”

COVID-19 vaccinations are not required for students in Oregon schools or child care. Parents seeking immunizations for their children should contact their pediatrician or local health department, or dial 211 or visit 211info.org. No one can be turned away from a local health department because of the inability to pay for required vaccines.

Statewide school vaccination data is available on OHA’s website, or at OHA’s new School Law Immunization Dashboard.

COVID-19 vaccination schedule at a glance

Click on one of the buttons below, or on the image to the right, to see a complete schedule for COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, broken down by age, vaccine brand and immunocompromised status. We don’t expect any updates or additional vaccines or boosters to be authorized for several months, but it could happen. We know it’s complicated and difficult to keep track of what vaccinations to get and when to get them. We expect federal health authorities will simplify the recommendations this fall, and we will let you know about those changes as soon as possible.

A reader shares thoughts on how COVID-19 changed them

COVID-19, respiratory virus situation improving in Oregon

During OHA’s monthly COVID-19 press briefing today, OHA’s health officer and state epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger reported generally positive trends.

“As conditions continue to improve in Oregon, and as our state and the rest of the country finally begin the formal wind-down of the pandemic response after three years, we are seeing more positive changes that speak to the normalization – and manageability – of COVID-19 in our lives,” Sidelinger said.

Key takeaways from today’s press conference include:

• Hospitalizations for COVID-19, RSV and influenza have dropped significantly and should continue to drop in the coming weeks. Hospitals remain strained as many people continue to seek care for other medical conditions.
• The mask mandate in health care settings may be lifted in the next couple of months.
• XBB.1.5 is likely the predominant COVID-19 subvariant in Oregon, and the bivalent booster provides significant protection against illness caused by XBB.1.5.
• We may see more flu cases in the coming weeks. It’s not too late to get your flu shot.
• The federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration will unwind in stages, ending entirely May 11.
• Mpox cases in Oregon have dropped and are holding steady at zero to two cases per month. The total number of mpox cases in Oregon is 270, with cases in 12 counties since the outbreak began in June 2022.

OHA releases monthly COVID-19 data

The following monthly COVID-19 data were updated this week.

• Cases by Vaccination Status
• Congregate Care Setting Outbreak Report
• Pediatric dashboard
• COVID-19 Vaccination Metrics

New data on the major respiratory viruses currently circulating in Oregon will be published tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 10. That includes OHA’s weekly Flu Bites newsletter and Oregon Health & Science University’s Oregon Hospital Forecast and Trends: COVID, Flu, RSV. After this week, the OHSU report will be published on a monthly basis.

Q & A

Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA senior health advisor and medical director, Communicable Diseases and Immunizations, answered today’s questions. We’ll continue to answer your questions in upcoming newsletters.

Q: I have read that there are reports of an increase in platelets in people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. As someone with a blood cancer, I'm concerned about this possibility. Normally, I'd seek protection from COVID-19, but not at an increased risk of strokes and clots. – Teresa, Eugene

A: “I’m sorry to hear about your cancer. To my knowledge, increased platelet counts have not been associated with COVID-19 vaccines. We conferred with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically about this question, and they affirmed that there’s been no evidence of an association of increased platelet counts with COVID-19 vaccines.”

Q: The bivalent booster has been available for children under 5 for nearly two months, yet it is still not available in Deschutes County. Why is this and when will it be available? – Rachel, Bend

A: “Hi Rachel. The bivalent booster for children under 5 is widely available across Oregon, including Deschutes County. We recommend checking with your pediatrician about getting your child boosted, but you can also visit Vaccines.gov and search for vaccination locations by vaccine brand and ZIP code. One of the best places to check is your county health department. The Deschutes County Health Services (DCHS) website lists a series of community vaccination clinics in Bend, La Pine, Redmond and Sisters. The site also displays the clinics on an online calendar. They recommend that for vaccinating children under 5 you should make an appointment by calling the DCHS COVID-19 Hotline (541-699-5109), Mon. – Fri., 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

If you have questions about topics related to COVID-19, submit your question here. While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions that may be of interest to a broader audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.

OHA's COVID-19 resources

• COVID-19 home page
• News and reports homepage
• Data dashboard home page
• County-level COVID-19 case data
• Monthly Congregate Care Setting Outbreak Report (published 2nd Thursday of every month)
• Quarterly Data Report
• Cases by vaccination status (updated 2nd Wednesday of every month)

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