In this issue:

• What to know about the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine
• To prepare for emergencies; start a conversation today
• Readers share poetry about mental wellness
• Schools in Harney County receive air cleaners to reduce wildfire smoke exposure
• Q & A
• OHA's COVID-19 resources

What to know about the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine

The next round of COVID-19 vaccines is here. The updated shot is designed to protect people during the coming fall/winter respiratory virus season. OHA recommends everyone over age 6 months receive a dose. Read our blog to learn more about the vaccine, where to get it and when, its cost, considerations for immunocompromised people, and more.

And don’t forget about your flu vaccine! It is safe and convenient to receive your COVID-19 and flu shots at the same time.

For information on where to get vaccines in Oregon, visit OHA’s immunization webpage.

To prepare for emergencies; start a conversation today

Wildfires continue to burn in Oregon, and as we head into storm season we want to remind people across the state to be prepared in the event of a disaster or emergency, such as landslides, flooding or storm-related power outages.

It may be scary to talk to loved ones about such possibilities, and we may think we’re protecting them by avoiding these conversations, but it’s important to start taking steps to get ready and stay safe.

This year’s theme for National Preparedness Month (September) is “Start a Conversation,” which encourages you and your family to discuss the possible scenarios, take simple steps and build your preparedness at your own pace:

We recommend Oregonians make a plan in the event of a disaster emergency, including:

• Know the risk in your area and your evacuation route.
• Make a shelter plan.
• Build an emergency preparedness kit for your family, pets and service animals.
• Register children into the HERO Kids Registry for emergency responders.

We also recommend you be 2 Weeks Ready. That means be prepared to survive without normal access to basic resources for two weeks.

Readers share poetry about mental wellness

Schools in Harney County receive air cleaners to reduce wildfire smoke exposure

Local, state and federal agencies are working together to bring air monitors and temporary air cleaners to schools in Harney County, which has experienced the most days of unhealthy air of any Oregon county due to wildfire smoke this year. The air cleaners are helping clear smoke from classrooms and other indoor school spaces when students are inside the buildings. “Our county is large, and we have these tiny rural schools in every corner,” Kelly Singhose, Harney County’s interim public health co-director, explained. “To make decisions about their students’ exposure to smoke, they need air quality data from right where they are.”

Q & A

Questions are answered by experts at OHA and other state agencies or community partners.

Q: I am 81 years old and did not get my spring COVID vaccine booster until June. How soon can I get the new vaccine? – Susan, Portland

A: Susan, because your age puts you at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness, we recommend getting the new 2024-2025 version of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can, and to get this year’s flu vaccine at the same time for convenience. While the previous version you got in June does provide some protection against currently circulating virus strains, an individual must consider their own personal risk factors when deciding when to get the new vaccine for the 2024-2025 season. If you were a healthy 35-year-old person, for example, you could be more leisurely about it.

Additionally, if you did not receive the RSV vaccine last year (the first year it was available), we also recommend that you get a dose of that. It’s not an annual vaccine, though, so if you got the RSV vaccine last year you do not need to get it again this year.

Please note that COVID-19 and flu vaccines are covered by Medicare Part B, but the RSV vaccine must be billed to Medicare Part D (or private insurance or Oregon Health Plan/OHP). Doctors’ offices will not bill Medicare Part D, so unless you have private insurance or OHP you must go to a pharmacy for the RSV vaccine.

Q: I have read about it being more effective to have a Moderna vaccine after having Pfizer previously. Last October I had Moderna for the first time as a booster. Would it be more effective to alternate the two sources in the future or just take whatever brand is available? Right now I am set up for a Pfizer shot in a week but wonder if I should make it Moderna? I might add I just turned 79. – Lynn, Eugene

A: Early studies showed somewhat higher antibody levels after getting COVID-19 vaccines made by different manufacturers, but we’re not aware of any data showing that those levels resulted in different rates of infection or hospitalization. Provided you can find them, you’re certainly welcome to alternate them; but our main recommendation is that you be sure to get one of them, and we don’t recommend delaying to find an “ideal” one. Check out our recent blog for frequently asked questions about the new 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines.

If you have questions about health topics in Oregon, submit your question here. Although we are unable to answer every question, we try to address those of interest to a broad audience. Please understand that we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.

If you need mental health support for any reason, help is out there.

OHA's COVID-19 resources

• Find a vaccine
• COVID-19 home page
• News and reports homepage
• Respiratory virus data home page (COVID-19, RSV, flu)
  
• Wastewater surveillance data dashboard (updated every Wednesday)

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An archive of past Oregon Health News bulletins can be found here.