By Lynne Terry
Covid continues to sicken hundreds of people every day in Oregon, though fewer people need intensive care, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
“Unlike every other past surge, we are not seeing significant increases of people in the ICU and especially (on) ventilators,” Patrick Allen, director of the health authority, told a state House committee on Friday.
On Thursday, there were only six people statewide on ventilators, he said.
One change from a year ago is the availability of Covid treatments. Providers can prescribe three antivirals to disrupt the viral cycle or prevent the virus from multiplying, according to Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist. There also are two infusions to prevent severe disease or to prevent someone from getting Covid. The latter drug, EVUSHELD, is only for people with compromised immune systems or for those who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons, Sidelinger told the House Interim Special Committee on Covid-19 Response.
The virus continues to spread in Oregon, but the number of new illnesses reported each day are no longer increasing by 50% as they were a few weeks ago, Allen said. On Thursday, just over 1,800 new cases were reported in the state.
For the full story, see the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
