COVID-19 Surge: What You Need to Know
The United States is currently experiencing a surge in respiratory illnesses including Flu, COVID-19, and RSV due to several factors including holiday gatherings, increased indoor activities, and waning immunity due to low vaccination rates, plus the emergence of a new highly infectious COVID variant, JN.1.
According to a CDC chart of national and regional COVID trends, the viral activity rate in wastewater is at its highest level since January 2022, with a national rate of 12.44 for the week ending December 30, 2023.
How Serious is the New COVID Variant, JN.1?
The new COVID variant, JN.1, is responsible for over 61% of cases in the US as of the week ending Jan. 6, 2024, according to CDC data. While the symptoms of JN.1 may vary depending on your underlying health and immunity, they are generally similar to those caused by other variants.
How Can You Protect Yourself?
If you are sick, stay home and take a COVID test.
Wear a mask in indoor settings with lots of people.
Consider avoiding crowded settings, especially if you're high risk.
Get vaccinated with the new COVID vaccine, approved for everyone ages 6 months and older.
OCH offers COVID vaccinations for children, adolescents, and adults.
Please note - online scheduling is only available for Hood River and The Dalles locations at this time.
Schedule below.
Frequently Asked Questions
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One Community Health has lots of free at-home tests! Stop by today to pick up tests for you and your family.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) OTC Test Program is available while supplies last.
Most local pharmacies sell at-home tests, including Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Hi-School Pharmacy, and Fred Meyer. Supplies are limited and may sell out quickly. Some grocery stores now carry at-home tests, including Rosauers, Safeway, and Costco.
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At-home COVID-19 tests are a great resource and can be used any time you have symptoms, have been exposed to someone with COVID, or need to check if you might have COVID-19. In almost all cases an at-home COVID-19 test is appropriate and convenient.
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No! At-home tests are accurate enough that you do not need to confirm you have COVID-19 with a test in the clinic. False positive tests are very, very rare. Please assume you have COVID-19 and isolate following the CDC guidelines
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At-home tests are almost as accurate as a test that you would get in the clinic. Most importantly, you have a very, very low chance of having a false positive result from an at-home test. There have been instances of a false negative result, meaning you test negative but you actually do have COVID-19. For this reason, if you have COVID-19 symptoms it is very important that you still assume you have COVID-19 and follow the CDC's recommendations for quarantine. If you do have symptoms and a negative result, repeat testing at least 2 more times over 3 days, with 48 hours between tests.
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You should immediately follow the CDC's recommendations for quarantine. You should also report your positive result to your state's health department:
If you live in Oregon report to the Oregon Health Authority online here or by calling (866) 917-8881.
If you live in Washington report to the Washington Department of Health by calling (800) 525-0127, then press # (press 7 for Spanish).
If you have additional questions you should contact your primary care provider. If you do not have a health care provider contact your local health department:
Hood River County Health Department (541) 386-1115
Wasco and Sherman Counties (North Central Public Health District) (541) 506-2600
Klickitat County Health Department (509) 493-1558
Skamania County Health Department (509) 427-3850
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To remain accurate an at-home test might need to be kept from getting too cold or too hot. Check the box label for that test's requirements.