People line up for vaccination during an event at Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario on Dec. 3, 2021. (Enterprise file) The coronavirus had seemed to simmer down in Malheur County in recent weeks, so much so that future meetings of the county’s Covid task force recently were canceled. And[Read More…]

The Covid vaccine. (Liliana Frankel/The Enterprise) ONTARIO – As Oregon moves closer to its vaccination goal of 80%, vaccination rates in communities of color still mostly lag the white population.  In Malheur County, demographic data for vaccine rates is still being combined with data from Klamath, Lake and Harney counties[Read More…]

A stack of Valley Family Health Care consent forms for the Covid-19 vaccine stand ready for incoming patients outside their mobile clinic at Nyssa High School on Thursday, Aug. 19. (AUSTIN JOHNSON/The Enterprise) NOTE: The Enterprise is providing this free to the community as a public service to keep residents informed.[Read More…]

The final county-sponsored immunization clinic was held at Four Rivers Cultural Center last week. The county still lags behind most of the state in the percentage of residents who received a Covid vaccine. (The Enterprise/Liliana Frankel). NOTE: The Enterprise is providing this free to the community as a public service to[Read More…]

A nurse tends to a patient in intensive care in Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Ontario on Thursday, Sept. 30. (Malheur Enterprise/LILIANA FRANKEL) ONTARIO – Signs of the pandemic are everywhere at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Ontario. Carts filled with personal protective equipment are stationed at places throughout the[Read More…]

Covid vaccines. (The Enterprise/Liliana Frankel) NOTE: The Enterprise is providing this free to the community as a public service to keep residents informed. Please share and please subscribe to support this reporting. ONTARIO – As Covid ramps up throughout the region, the Malheur County Health Department will once again offer drive-through Covid testing[Read More…]

 Vanessa Turrentine, a registered nurse at Valley Family Health Care, waits for incoming patients wanting to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at their mobile clinic near Nyssa High School on Thursday, Aug. 19. (AUSTIN JOHNSON/The Enterprise) NOTE: The Enterprise is providing this free to the community as a public service to keep[Read More…]

Idaho Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen addresses the media at a virtual briefing on Tuesday, Aug. 24. (Idaho Capital Sun photo) BOISE – When August began, about 8% of the patients in Idaho hospitals had Covid. Three weeks later, they’re now more than 20% of hospitalizations. Almost none of[Read More…]

Gov. Kate Brown (The Enterprise File). UPDATE – Switching course, Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday said all workers in local schools will have to be vaccinated – and so will health care workers in hospitals and other settings. The governor made her announcement as Oregon hospitals reported sometimes overflow conditions[Read More…]

Gov. Kate Brown in her Portland office (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) SALEM – Gov. Kate Brown announced a statewide mask mandate last week to respond to rapidly rising Covid cases statewide, and gave a clear message to the counties: they did not do enough. Malheur County representatives disagree. The statewide mandate[Read More…]