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October 19, 2023

Portland’s Flu Season Forecast

City Cast Portland

Portland’s Flu Season Forecast

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Now that fall is here, experts expect that cases of COVID-19, RSV, and flu will rise.

How worried should we be about this year’s bugs? And what’s going on with the latest vaccines? Science journalist Erin Ross is here to answer all our questions about viruses, vaccines, and whether we should still be masking up.

COVID-19 Testing resources:

  • You can get up to 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests from COVIDTests.gov
  • Free COVID-19 PCR testing via the CDC's testing locator. 
  • If you have expired COVID-19 rapid tests, check this website. The expiration dates for some of the tests have been extended, so they might still be usable.


Vaccination resources:

  • Multnomah County is offering no-cost COVID-19 and flu vaccines via its Community Immunization Program. However, supply is still limited and it will be a while before appointments are readily available. For help finding a vaccine, people should call 503-988-8939. 
  • If your insurance doesn't fully cover COVID-19 vaccines, or if you are uninsured, you can get vaccinated for free by the CDC's Bridge Access Program.


Events mentioned in today’s episode:


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