PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — If you haven’t gotten COVID until now, or have friends who are first-timers, you have a lot of company.
Doctors say the latest variants are incredibly contagious, which is why we are seeing case counts spike and now mask requirements are going into place in some spots in Portland.
“We are seeing that if you haven’t yet had COVID, you are now getting it,” said Dr. Katie Scharff, an epidemiologist with Kaiser Permanente. “
David Douglas School District and Gresham-Barlow School District are now requiring masking for anyone in school buildings.
The majority of counties in Oregon, including the metro area, have been in the high-risk category for the last week, according to the CDC’s community risk level data.
A local couple who came down with COVID this week for the first time after a Fourth of July camping trip with friends says they are trying to manage symptoms while taking care of their four and seven-year-old girls. The couple says they are all vaccinated and were outside during almost all of the trip.
“That was sort of a surprise, that I got it from mostly being outside,” said Christy Splitt.
Splitt also says she contacted the virus from an asymptomatic friend.
“That was definitely eye-opening as far as how contagious the new variants are,” Splitt said.
Staying away from crowded indoor spaces, wearing an N-95 mask and vaccination are still some of your best protections to help avoid serious illness and hospitalization.