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Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Announcements

COVID Protocol Changes

COVID Protocol Changes
May 22, 2023 - On Wednesday, May 10 the State of Oregon announced that in alignment with the federal government ending the COVID-19 public health emergency on Thursday, May 11 they would be lifting health-protective measures related to COVID-19. Some of these changes are effective immediately, and others will take effect in the coming weeks. Here is a summary of the changes as they pertain to school and district staff and students.

  • Vaccination Requirements - As of Saturday, June 17, 2023 school staff and volunteers are no longer required to either provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request a religious or medical exception. The vaccination/exception requirement remains in effect for any new hires/volunteer approvals between now and June 16.  

  • Exposure and Isolation Guidance - Effective immediately, a five-day period of isolation for those infected with COVID-19 is no longer recommended for the general population, including people in K-12 education settings. Instead, students or staff members who are ill should follow the Too Sick for School/Work guidelines and stay home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and other symptoms are improving. 

  • School Health and Isolation Rooms - Isolation Rooms will remain in place through the end of this school year as spaces where students who are ill can await pick-up from their family/caregiver. Health Rooms will be used for routine medication administration, minor wound care, and other illnesses that cannot be categorized as a communicable disease (e.g. upset stomach, headache). 

  • COVID-19 Tests - Schools will still have access to COVID-19 test kits to send home with families who request them until our current supply has been depleted. 

Mask wearing will remain optional for students and staff, and is still recommended for those who are returning to school/work after a COVID-19 infection. Staying current on COVID vaccinations is also strongly encouraged.

Cambios en el protocolo de COVID
El miércoles, 10 de mayo el Estado de Oregón anunció que en alineación con la finalización de la emergencia de salud pública de COVID-19 por parte del gobierno federal el jueves, 11 de mayo, se estarían levantando las medidas de protección de la salud relacionadas con COVID-19. Algunos de estos cambios entrarán en vigencia de inmediato y otros entrarán en vigencia en las próximas semanas. A continuación se proporciona un resumen de los cambios relacionados con los miembros del personal y los estudiantes de las escuelas y el distrito.

  • Requisitos de vacunación: A partir del sábado, 17 de junio de 2023, el personal escolar y los voluntarios ya no están obligados a proporcionar un comprobante de vacunación contra el COVID-19 ni a solicitar una excepción religiosa o médica. El requisito de vacunación/excepción sigue vigente para cualquier nueva contratación/aprobación de voluntarios que se realice entre el día de hoy y el 16 de junio.

  • Directrices de exposición y aislamiento: Con vigencia inmediata, ya no se recomienda un período de aislamiento de cinco días para la población en general infectada con COVID-19, incluyendo las personas en entornos educativos en los grados K-12. En cambio, los estudiantes o miembros del personal que estén enfermos deben seguir las directrices de Demasiado enfermo para ir a la escuela/el trabajo y quedarse en su hogar hasta que estén libres de fiebre durante al menos 24 horas sin la ayuda de medicamentos y cuando otros síntomas estén mejorando.

  • Salud escolar y salones de aislamiento: Los salones de aislamiento continuarán hasta el final de este año escolar y se utilizarán como espacios donde los estudiantes que están enfermos pueden esperar a que los recoja su familia/proveedor de cuidado. Las enfermerías escolares se utilizarán para la administración de medicamentos de rutina, el cuidado de heridas menores y otras enfermedades que no se pueden clasificar como enfermedades transmisibles (por ejemplo, malestar estomacal, dolor de cabeza).

  • Pruebas de detección de COVID-19: Las escuelas seguirán teniendo acceso a los kits de prueba de COVID-19 para enviar al hogar con las familias que los soliciten hasta que se agote nuestro suministro actual.

El uso de mascarillas seguirá siendo opcional para los estudiantes y los miembros del personal, y aún se recomienda para aquellos que regresan a la escuela/trabajo después de una infección por COVID-19. También se recomienda encarecidamente mantenerse al corriente con las vacunas contra el COVID.

Virginia Garcia Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines

Virginia Garcia Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines
Virginia Garcia’s Hillsboro Clinic (232 SE 7th Ave.) is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering the following services:

  • COVID-19 vaccination

  • COVID-19 testing

  • COVID-19 treatment

  • Flu vaccination

  • Monkeypox vaccination by calling 503-988-8939 - patients need a provider assessment prior to vaccination. VG partners with the Multnomah County Health Department for that program

Visit virginiagarcia.org/vaccine for more information or to make an appointment.

Vacunas contra la gripa y COVID-19 en Virginia García
La Clínica de Virginia Garcia de Hillsboro (232 SE 7th Ave.) está abierta de lunes a viernes de 8:00 a.m. a 5:00 p.m. y ofrece los siguientes servicios:

  • Vacunas de COVID-19

  • Pruebas de COVID-19

  • Tratamiento para COVID-19

  • Vacunas contra la gripa

  • Vacunación contra la viruela símica o del mono llamando al 503-988-8939, los pacientes necesitan una evaluación del proveedor antes de recibir la vacuna. Virginia García está asociada con el Departamento de Salud del Condado de Multnomah para dicho programa. 

Visite virginiagarcia.org/vaccine para obtener más información o para programar una cita.

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2 and was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. It is very contagious and has quickly spread around the world.

COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, a flu, or pneumonia. COVID-19 may attack more than your lungs and respiratory system. Other parts of your body may also be affected by the disease.

  • Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people become severely ill.
  • Some people including those with minor or no symptoms may suffer from post-COVID conditions — or “long COVID”.
  • Older adults and people who have certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
  • Hundreds of thousands of people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.
  • Vaccines against COVID-19 are safe and effective. Vaccines teach our immune system to fight the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. It is part of the coronavirus family, which include common viruses that cause a variety of diseases from head or chest colds to more severe (but more rare) diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Like many other respiratory viruses, coronaviruses spread quickly through droplets that you project out of your mouth or nose when you breathe, cough, sneeze, or speak.

The word corona means crown and refers to the appearance that coronaviruses get from the spike proteins sticking out of them. These spike proteins are important to the biology of this virus. The spike protein is the part of the virus that attaches to a human cell to infect it, allowing it to replicate inside of the cell and spread to other cells. Some antibodies can protect you from SARS-CoV-2 by targeting these spike proteins. Because of the importance of this specific part of the virus, scientists who sequence the virus for research constantly monitor mutations causing changes to the spike protein through a process called genomic surveillance.

As genetic changes to the virus happen over time, the SARS-CoV-2 virus begins to form genetic lineages. Just as a family has a family tree, the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be similarly mapped out. Sometimes branches of that tree have different attributes that change how fast the virus spreads, or the severity of illness it causes, or the effectiveness of treatments against it. Scientists call the viruses with these changes “variants”. They are still SARS-CoV-2, but may act differently.

[Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19/basics-covid-19.html]