On Friday, Jan 28, Health Officer and State Epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger gave an update on COVID-19 protocols for Oregon. Masking in schools and health care facilities is being extended and the extension of other indoor and outdoor mask requirements are still being considered.
The Oregon Health Authority is considering making mask rules for public spaces permanent. Permanent here doesn’t mean that masks will be required forever, it just means that they won’t have to keep revisiting the rules every 180 days and instead can rescind them when no longer necessary.
The current mask mandate is set to expire on Feb 8, 2022. Sidelinger stated,“Our hospitals are at a breaking point. We are simply not yet at a point where we can consider relaxing these crucial protections” According to OHA last week, Oregon surpassed 6,000 COVID-19 related deaths and has 1100 hospitalizations.
OHA allowed public comment on the proposed extension of public masking. Comments were overwhelmingly negative. Sidelinger stated that though these comments are still being considered, new mask rules will be submitted and finalized by the end of this week. Currently masks are required in all indoor public spaces and in outdoor gatherings where social distancing is not possible. These rules could be extended until the state gets past this current surge of the Omicron variant. Sidelinger believes the peak will happen in the next few weeks and assuming no other variant is discovered the mask rule can be revisited.
Lane Community College is still enforcing its indoor and outdoor mask requirements. Masks are required at all times on campus and social distancing is encouraged. Vaccines are also required for anyone wanting to use in-person services and a booster requirement is on the way. Vaccines and boosters are available on campus and can be scheduled here. According to the OHA dashboard, over 252,000 Lane County residents are fully vaccinated. Lane County has a 17.2% test positivity rate and has had a cumulative 406 deaths. Lane County could see a loosening of these restrictions if Sidelinger is correct about the peak.
Sidelinger did say that Oregon is not going to reach the goal of 1 million residents boosted by Feb 1. Oregon is 18th among all states for overall vaccination rates. Sidelinger hopes that with more vaccines and boosters, restrictions can loosen. Currently, businesses are open and schools are trying to remain open. With cases continuing to increase though, these institutions are being disrupted.
Sidelinger believes that COVID-19 will remain endemic.
Sidelinger was asked about how concerning this is for children. He stated that there has been an increase in children being hospitalized with Omicron for a variety of reasons: lack of vaccine approval for children under 5. He said, “Children are receiving care and being discharged but it is extremely distressing for families.” OHA is closely monitoring these vaccine allowances and has a plan in place to provide family vaccine clinics once younger children can be vaccinated.
The Torch will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on ongoing Covid protocols in Oregon and Lane County.
