Season 2 Episode 9: Situational Update on COVID-19/Flu/RSV Pt. 3

Additional resources
 OHA COVID-19 vaccine website: covidvaccine.oregon.gov
 OHA Facebook
 Safe+Strong website
 Ask a Black Doctor on The Numberz
 REACH webpage and REACH Facebook
[Insert FAQ Topic]
Q1: As we wrap up the holiday season, are there still concerns about respiratory
viruses, including influenza, RSV and COVID-19?
Yes, all three continue to circulate in our communities, but at different levels. The
percentage of positive influenza tests and resulting hospitalizations rapidly increased
in the last several weeks, but, fortunately, percent positivity and hospitalizations for
RSV have declined since peaking in early December. Similar to flu, we have seen a
rise in COVID-19 cases, which pushed hospitalizations well above 300 per day and
kept bed capacity at or near 100%. Those hospitalization include patients waiting in
emergency departments because no bed is available.
Q2: Why is the high number of hospitalizations such a problem? Don’t hospitals
typically operate at or near capacity?
They do, but during this respiratory season the problems are caused both by a lack of
beds and a shortage of nurses to staff those beds. Many of these health care workers
are out with the same viral infections as everyone else, making the problem more
acute. What we’ve been reminding people is that if you go to the hospital, you may
have to wait half a day in the emergency department to be seen, and if you have to
be admitted you may not be in a regular room.

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Q3: Are there things people can do to reduce their risk of needing hospitalization
due to a respiratory virus?
Yes. The best way to protect loved ones and friends who are most at risk of severe
illness from influenza, RSV or COVID-19 is to take steps that increase your chances
of not getting the virus in the first place. And they’re the same things we’ve been
talking about during the last nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic:
 Wear a mask in all indoor public places.
 Limit the size of holiday gatherings, especially if they will include young
children, older adults or individuals with underlying medical conditions.
 Stay home and limit contact with others if you are sick.
 Cover coughs and sneezes.
 Clean all high-touch surfaces.
 Regularly wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
 Get a flu shot and stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including
boosters.
For most people, respiratory viruses will only mild illness. But those with symptoms
and in a high-risk group, or very sick and worried about their illness, should seek care
right away.
For children, warning signs needing medical attention include:
 Fast breathing or trouble breathing – flaring nostrils, wheezing or grunting.
 Bluish lips or face.
 Ribs pulling in with each breath.
 Chest pain.
 Severe muscle pain (child refuses to walk).
 Dehydration (no urine for eight hours, dry mouth, no tears when crying).
 Not alert or interacting when awake.
 Seizures.
 Fever above 104°F.
 Any fever in children younger than 12 weeks old.
 Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen.
 Worsening of chronic medical conditions.
 In infants and toddlers, very ill or drowsy, poor feeding or high-pitched cry.
For adults, warning signs needing medical attention include:
 Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
 Persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen.
 Persistent dizziness, confusion, inability to arouse.
 Seizures.
 Not urinating.
 Severe muscle pain.
 Severe weakness or unsteadiness.

OHA 3900 (9/28/2021)

 Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen.
 Worsening of chronic medical conditions.
Q4: Is there anything OHA is doing in response to the staffing problems at
hospitals in Oregon?
Yes. OHA is working closely with Gov. Brown to bring staffing relief to Oregon’s strained
hospitals.
 Earlier this month, Gov. Brown issued a new executive order that continues and
expands her Nov. 13 emergency declaration to provide additional flexibility to
Oregon hospitals so there are enough health care workers to meet current needs,
hospitals can draw on a pool of medical volunteer nurses and physicians, and
other critical steps can be taken to care for patients.
 OHA has helped hospitals bring additional health care providers from out of state
to help ease Oregon’s hospital capacity issues. We have already brought in more
than [NUMBER] contract nurses and respiratory therapists to support our hospital
partners, and we are pursuing up to $25 million in additional state funding for
supplemental nurse staffing contracts to help address the critical workforce
shortages.
 OHA also has communicated regularly with the health care, public health,
laboratory and emergency preparedness communities through the Health Alert
Network, or HAN, to provide updates on the surge response; medical, treatment,
vaccination and testing supplies; investigative guidelines and clinical
recommendations; and prevention and health promotion messages.

Document accessibility: For individuals with disabilities or individuals who speak a
language other than English, OHA can provide information in alternate formats such as
translations, large print, or braille. Contact the Health Information Center at 1-971-673-
2411, 711 TTY or COVID19.LanguageAccess@dhsoha.state.or.us.