Health & Medicine

On this week's show, we ask Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County Senior Public Health Officer, about the governor's two-week freeze, the surge in cases of COVID-19 in Oregon and locally, masks, and when to get tested. 

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Copyright 2020 KLCC.

Teams from Oregon State University and the University of Oregon recently partnered to test a random sample of residents in Eugene-- for COVID-19. The results are in.

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, women are the fastest growing population in the military today. So, the demand for equitable, high-quality health services for women has also increased. Recently, the Roseburg V.A. System made some additions-- just for female vets.

White Bird Medical Clinic has partnered with Kaiser Permanente to develop a safe, COVID-19 screening and testing center for Lane County’s unhoused populations.

On this week's show, Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County's Chief Medical Officer, answers listener questions about the safety of vaccines, how they'll be distributed, administered, and how soon we can resume "normal" life. Meanwhile, due to the huge numbers of new cases of COVID-19 in the state, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has announced new restrictions including limits on social gatherings. 

Over the last two days, Lane County has seen 116 new COVID-19 cases and two reported deaths from the virus. Health officials say they have identified three established outbreaks around Halloween activities. A new surveillance effort indicates masking compliance remains an issue.

Over the weekend, hundreds of randomly selected Eugene households were approached to participate in a community COVID-19 testing effort. The TRACE project is expected to provide an estimate of the viral infection rate within city limits.

Over the weekend and Monday, Douglas County Public Health has seen 61 new cases of COVID-19. This spike puts the county over the 500-mark for residents in isolation and quarantine.

On this week's show, Lane County Public Health's Senior Health Officer Dr. Patrick Luedtke talks with KlCC's Rachael McDonald about travel, how to quarantine at home, the effectiveness of masks, and more. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the largest hospital in the Southern Willamette Valley has been preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients. That has yet to come, but with winter approaching, hospitals remain at the ready.

Reports of a six-and-a-half ton peanut rolling through Eugene have proven true. No, it’s not a new ridesharing company called “Goober”…rather, it’s a nutty draw for a more serious cause. KLCC’s Brian Bull cracks the story.

Here’s a public health message to bear in mind: Stress is bad for you. The build up of tension around the pandemic and now an historic election can take a serious toll. But there are workarounds.

The Holiday Farm fire destroyed nearly every structure in the remote town of Blue River and cut McKenzie Valley residents off from key services: the post office, the library, the general market. Especially critical was the loss of the medical clinic. But as the community is learning, it’s not so much the buildings that make the difference --it’s the people.

Last month, the City of Eugene launched a new "Stop the Spread" campaign effort--a COVID-19 messaging contest geared toward young adults, aged 14 to 30 years old.  This just announced: the contest deadline has been extended with a new deadline for submissions: 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, November 11, 2020.