Coronavirus

An unmasked man reacts in objection during a Portland Public Schools board meeting to discuss a proposed vaccine mandate for students Tuesday. Nathan Howard / Getty Images Despite being interrupted by unmasked protesters, members of the Portland Public Schools (PPS) board moved forward with developing a possible vaccine mandate for PPS students 12 and older […]

Eligible Oregonians can now receive any of the three vaccine types as a booster shot, thanks to the approved “mix-and-match” strategy. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Oregon’s regional immunization advisory group recommended COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for people who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines Friday, paving the way for the Oregon Health […]

More than 11,000 Portland and Multnomah County Employees got vaccinated or submitted an exemption by the vaccine mandate deadline. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Editor’s note: A previous version of this story reported that 91 employees were fired from the City of Portland Tuesday. Updated data from the city shows that only 90 staffers were […]

A Multnomah County worker gets vaccinated at a county health clinic. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Over one hundred City of Portland employees and 73 Multnomah County employees will be fired if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19—or receive an exemption—by Monday, the day that both governments’ staff vaccine mandates goes into effect. According […]

A Portland healthcare worker prepares a COVID-19 vaccine. Nathan Howard / Getty Images Oregonians with a high risk of contracting COVID-19 who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago are now able to receive booster shots, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday. This news follows last week’s approval from the […]

Luis Alvarez / Getty Images On a chart graphing COVID-19 vaccination rates in Oregon by race, one green line soars significantly higher than the rest. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports the COVID vaccination rate amongst Pacific Islanders in Oregon is at a stunningly high 90 percent as of September 8. Even more remarkable is […]

Kilito Chan / Getty Images Confronted by rising COVID-19 rates across the state, Governor Kate Brown is planning to require Oregonians wear masks indoors. Brown is expected to announce the statewide mask mandate during a Wednesday press conference. “This new mask requirement will not last forever, but it is a measure that can save lives […]

Multnomah County recommends people 5 and older wear masks indoors. Hollie Adams / Getty Images Multnomah County is recommending that all people 5 and older wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccine status. The county, which previously recommended that only unvaccinated people wear masks indoors, announced the new recommendations in a press release Monday in response […]

County vaccination sites are offering $150 gift cards to people who get fully vaccinated. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Oregon health officials are attributing the recent spike in COVID-19 cases to the July 4th holiday, the relaxation of masking and safety requirements amongst unvaccinated people, and the rise of the Delta variant of the virus. […]

As Oregon moves towards reopening, communities of color worry they are being left behind. Malte Mueller / Getty Images As the state moves to reopen, Oregonians are starting to see a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel filled with summer barbecues and breezy, bustling happy hours—at least, for vaccinated, and mostly white, Oregonians. […]

Getty Images / D3sign Due to a swell of COVID-19 cases in Oregon, Governor Kate Brown has moved 15 counties, including Multnomah and Clackamas, back under the state’s “extreme risk” COVID designation on Friday, April 30, triggering a complete shut down of indoor dining, limiting outdoor dining capacity to 100 people, and lowering capacity for […]