Possible symptoms include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if you don't have access to soap and water.
• Avoid touching your face, especially eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay home if you are sick. Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Throw used tissues in the trash promptly.
• Take care of your health by eating well, getting adequate sleep, exercising and managing stress will also help your body stay resilient.
• Get vaccinated for COVID-19

There are detailed recommendations for healthcare providers to protect themselves using special types of masks and other equipment.

Oregon Mask Requirements

We wear face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Face coverings help us keep our respiratory droplets to ourselves, which means people who wear them prevent spreading the virus to others.   Some people are contagious before they ever get symptoms and some never feel sick. They can spread the disease unknowingly.  Once you have a viral infection, wearing a face covering does not make it worse or make it last longer. It does, however, help you keep from spreading or passing it on it to others.

There are many types of face coverings, scarves, bandanas, and homemade coverings with loops that go over the ears.  Be sure your face covering fits well and covers your nose and mouth.  Wash your hands before and after touching your face covering and wash it daily.

Face coverings don’t cause enough carbon dioxide build-up to cause ill effects in otherwise healthy people. In fact, masks have a tighter seal than face coverings, and farm workers, custodial staff, and hospital employees all wear them to stay safe in their workplaces.

Remember, though, that the following people should not wear face coverings:

• Children under age 2 years

• Anyone who has a medical condition that makes it hard to breathe when wearing a face covering.

• Anyone who has a disability that prevents the individual from wearing a face covering.

Get vaccinated for COVID-19

COVID-19 treatments known as monoclonal antibodies have the potential to save lives and relieve the burden on our nation’s health care system. Monoclonal antibody therapies are now available in subcutaneous in addition to intravenous formulation.

How do monoclonal antibodies work?

Monoclonal antibodies treatments mimic our immune system’s response to SARS-CoV-2 (the infection that causes COVID-19) and are available to eligible, non-hospitalized patients 12 years and older with a high risk of progressing to severe forms of COVID-19 or being hospitalized.

Who is eligible to receive monoclonal antibody treatment?

People ages 12 and older and who weigh >40kg who:

• Have tested positive for COVID-19
• are experiencing mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19
• had first symptoms within the last 10 days
• are considered high risk for going into the hospital because of age >65, weight, pregnancy, immunosuppressive disease or treatment or some other chronic illnesses. See the full list.

Who is eligible to receive post exposure prophylaxis with monoclonal antibodies?

People ages 12 and older and who are exposed or at high risk for exposure (such as in congregate settings) and are:

• Incompletely vaccinated - i.e. unvaccinated or partially vaccinated
• Fully vaccinated but expected to not have as strong an immune response because of immunocompromising illness or being on immunosuppressive medications.

Who give should this treatment?

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) encourages all providers to offer monoclonal antibody treatment to appropriate high-risk patients with COVID-19 infection or exposure to reduce the risk of hospitalization and symptomatic disease. The subcutaneous formulation can be administered by any qualified provider in the state of Oregon. Patients must be observed for 1 hour following administration because of the rare risk of anaphylaxis. Details on logistics and administration of this new product are available in the updated HHS playbook: https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/investigation-MCM/Documents/USGCOVID19-Tx-Playbook.pdf

Is monoclonal antibody treatment available in Oregon?

One product (Casirivimab/Imdevimab) is currently available in Oregon through Health and Human Services (HHS) at no charge. It is effective against the Delta variant, which is currently the predominant variant circulating in Oregon. This product is available to ship now, in both intravenous and subcutaneous formulations. Two other products are available for commercial purchase directly through manufacturer and these are effective against the Delta variant. Click here to find treatment locations near you.

Is monoclonal antibody treatment effective in fighting COVID-19?

When used for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19, Casirivimab/Imdevimab reduces the risk of hospitalization by 50% in clinical trials leading to authorization. Casirivimab/Imdevimab has been shown to reduce the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 by 81% when used as postexposure prophylaxis. Additional information regarding this data is available via the EUA Fact sheet for health care providers. (https://www.fda.gov/media/145611/download).

Where can I get more information on using monoclonal antibody treatments?

Please contact [email protected] 

You can also review the CDC’s COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics Communications Toolkit for health care providers, health system administrators, treatment sites and others.

COVID-19 Testing is now widely available.  Visit the Community Testing page for information on clinical and surveillance (asymptomatic) testing sites.

You can order home test through the federal government here. 

Clinicians can order COVID-19 testing at their discretion. Public Health approval is not needed for this testing. Factors to consider include patient symptoms, underlying medical conditions, and contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Currently, there are two types of tests used locally that are approved by the FDA to diagnose active cases.

1.     A molecular RT-PCR test that finds genetic material.

2.     An antigen test that looks for specific proteins on the surface of the virus.

Antibody tests are a third kind of test and are not approved for diagnosis; as they don’t tell us if the infection is active or not.

New FDA approved tests are being added regularly. You can find more information about them here. Please consult with your medical provider to find the appropriate test for you.

Lane County Public Health is no longer making outbound calls to positive COVID-19 cases; if you have questions or need support, please call our non-emergency call center: (541) 682-1380.

Please see the Long-Term Recovery / Housing, Energy Assistance & Social Services Recovery page for up to date information on eviction moratoriums and rental assistance.

Local legal resources for renters include:

Access the Law

Oregon Law Center

Business Complaints Through The State

If you have concerns that a business is not properly adhering to the State guidance, you can submit a form through Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at https://www4.cbs.state.or.us/exs/osha/hazrep/.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is the lead agency related to grocery and convenience stores. Consumer complaints regarding customer behavior or a lack of customer social distancing in the retail environment should be directed to: https://oda.direct/complaints


Violations of the order can be treated as a class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine.


Local Compliance

Once you have reached out to these state agencies, if you would like to continue to pursue your business-related concern locally, you can contact the Lane County Non-Emergency COVID-19 Call Center at 541-682-1380 or email [email protected] We strive to be responsive with a strong emphasis on education.

Community members should refrain from calling 9-1-1 if they have non-emergency needs. If you have a complaint about failure to follow the State guidance that is not related to a business, please contact your local city government or law enforcement provider using their non-emergency phone numbers. If you live in unincorporated Lane County, please call the call center number during business hours.

The CDC is monitoring the spread of COVID-19 worldwide and how countries are responding to it. Check the CDC travel information for guidance on international travel. 

There are no plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine by Lane County.  

Governor Brown has issued vaccine mandates for healthcare workers and state employees. 

Check with your employer if you believe these new mandates apply to you.

No.  All eligible community members are able to receive a vaccine, regardless of your immigration and citizenship status. Vaccine providers should not be asking about your immigration status. The Biden/Harris administration has declared that all vaccine sites are sensitive locations and immigration enforcement agencies will not carry out operations at or near such facilities, which also include health care facilities and hospitals.

Testing and treatment for COVID-19 (including vaccination) will not count against you for the public charge test. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made a special announcement about this. Also, not all immigrants are subject to the public charge test.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently strengthened its vaccine recommendation for pregnant people.  

COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people ages 6 months and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future. 

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. Fortunately, severe illness from COVID-19 during pregnancy can be avoided by getting vaccinated. 
 

CDC COVID-19 Information for pregnant and recently pregnant people

Due to the severe health risks associated with the disease and the fact that re-infection is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with the disease before. According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to people regardless of a history of COVID-19 infection.

A third dose is currently available for individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and may not have built up an adequate protective immune response with their first series of vaccinations. Currently, the only authorized third doses are for the Moderna and Pfizer Comirnaty vaccines. The recommendation is for immunocompromised individuals to receive a third dose of the same mRNA vaccine at least 28 days after receiving the second dose in the series (for individuals 18 years and older for Moderna and 12 years and older for Pfizer Comirnaty).  

At this time, the CDC does not have enough data to suggest that an additional dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would produce an enhanced immune response in an immunocompromised person. Another dose of Johnson & Johnson or an mRNA vaccine is not recommended for immunocompromised individuals who have already received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. These recommendations will be reviewed as the data becomes available. 

A booster dose is for people whose immunity may be fading after they complete their first vaccination series.

More information on Booster Doses - OHA  

Yes. Recent data suggest COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness at preventing infection or severe illness wanes over time, especially for certain groups of people,  such as people ages 65 years and older and people with immunocompromise.

CDC recommends one updated (bivalent) booster dose:

• -For everyone aged 5 years and older if it has been at least 2 months since your last dose.
• -For children aged 6 months–4 years who completed the Moderna primary series and if it has been at least 2 months since their last dose.

Your immunization was recorded in the state ALERT immunization record system. 

You can request a Electronic Vaccine Card through OHA

Vaccines are available through healthcare providers, pharmacies and vaccine clinic events.

Visit Get Vaccinated for more information.

No. There is no cost for the COVID-19 vaccine and you do not need to have insurance. Some clinics or pharmacies may charge a copay. OHA and LCPH clinics do not. 

The vaccine will be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance. The cost of the vaccine will be covered for people who are uninsured.

If you are a homebound individual please call or email Lane County ([email protected] or 541-682-1380) and provide a minimum of your address and phone number. 

We cannot currently offer rides to vaccine clinics. If you are an Oregon Health Plan member and need a ride to get a vaccine, rides are free. You can call your CCO for assistance or contact RideSource to schedule at 541-682-5566, toll free at 1-877-800-9899, o r7-1-1 (TTY) https://www.ltd.org/ridesource/

Thanks to advances in medicine, scientists were able to create and test a vaccine quickly. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires rigorous safety testing before it will approve any vaccine. Tens of thousands of people — including Oregonians — from many backgrounds, ages and communities of color, participated in vaccine testing.

What does Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) mean? In times of a public health emergency, like a pandemic, the FDA allows the use of certain life-saving drugs and treatments through Emergency Use Authorization. The COVID-19 vaccine was tested in tens of thousands of study participants, which generated enough data to convince the FDA that the vaccine is safe and effective, and the manufacturer producing the vaccine meets all safety standards.

On August 23, 2-21 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine, which will be marketed as “Comirnaty.”

Under the newly granted FDA approval, Comirnaty will be available to all people ages 16 and older to prevent COVID-19 disease. Under Emergency Use Authorization, the vaccine will continue to be available to all individuals ages 5 and older, and a third dose will be available to immunocompromised people.

In Comirnaty’s journey to FDA approval, the agency reviewed vaccine effectiveness data from roughly 40,000 individuals ages 16 and older — half of whom received placebos — who did not have evidence of the COVID-19 virus infection within a week of receiving the second dose.

Based on this analysis, the agency determined Comirnaty was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease. 

In addition to reviewing vaccine effectiveness data, the FDA also reviewed vaccine safety data. More than half of the clinical trial participants from the vaccine effectiveness study were monitored for safety outcomes for at least four months after their second dose of Comirnaty. An additional 12,000 recipients were followed for at least six months following their second dose.

Based on this study, the FDA determined that the most common side effects included:

• Pain, redness and swelling at the injection site
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle or joint pain
• Chills
• Fever

The FDA also evaluated the risks related to myocarditis and pericarditis following the administration of Comirnaty. After a thorough review, the agency determined:

• Risk is highest among men ages 12 to 17.
• The symptoms appear within seven days of the second dose of Comirnaty.
• Most symptoms clear up.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to monitor the safety of Comirnaty, specifically as it relates to long-term outcomes, through the robust vaccine safety monitoring systems in place in the US.

Even with full approval, health care providers must administer COVID-19 vaccines in accordance with all program requirements and recommendations of CDC, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the FDA. Therefore, off-label use of Comirnaty is not recommended.

Here is a brief timeline of Comirnaty’s (Pfizer vaccine) journey to becoming a fully approved vaccine in the US:

• Dec. 11, 2020: FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the US for individuals ages 16 and older.
• May 10, 2021: FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the US for individuals ages 12 and older.
• Aug. 12, 2021: FDA authorizes additional mRNA vaccine dose for certain immunocompromised individuals
• Aug. 23, 2021: FDA approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) for individuals ages 16 and older.
  
  

Click here for additional information Press Announcments from the FDA.

Resources

• Vaccine Information Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers About Comirnaty
• FDA, CDC and Western States recommend additional vaccine dose for immunocompromised individuals
• Western states workgroup approves vaccinations for individuals 12 and older
• Vaccine 101: What’s an mRNA vaccine?
• Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination
• Approval versus Emergency Use Authorization (EUA): What’s the difference?

FDA Website
OHA Website

CDC and FDA encourage the public to report possible side effects (called adverse events) to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) . This national system collects these data to look for adverse events that are unexpected, appear to happen more often than expected or have unusual patterns of occurrence.

Visit The CDC VAERS Webpage to learn about the difference between a vaccine side effect and an adverse event and how reports to VAERS help CDC monitor the safety of vaccines. Safety is a top priority.
  

We also recommend using the V-safe After Vaccination Health Checker to share your side effects with the CDC as part of ongoing vaccine safety monitoring.

For the two dose vaccines (Pfizer & Modern) both doses are the same amount.  Your immune response may be different to each dose.

Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) requires only a single dose.

The Moderna booster dose is a half dose; this means it is half the amount of the first or second doses of Moderna. This is the only difference.

There is no difference between the first, second, or booster does for the Pfizer vaccine

Oregon Health Authority - Vaccine Safety
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in the US
FDA COVID-19 Vaccines