Three units at the Oregon State Hospital are under “medical isolation” due to outbreaks of COVID-19 and influenza.

Amber Shoebridge, a spokesperson for the state psychiatric facility, said two of the units are shut down for coronavirus outbreaks, and another because of the flu. She said the isolation protocols go into effect when there are at least two patients on a unit with a virus. It was not immediately clear how many patients are ill.

Patients living on the affected units will be “strongly encouraged” to stay in their rooms and to wear masks when out of their rooms, Shoebridge said, but they will not be prohibited from roaming about the common areas of the unit. All treatment will occur within the unit, and patients will stay in their rooms for meals.

Staff who work on the affected units must wear N95 masks and a face shield when working with patients, she said.

A spokesperson for the state’s largest disability advocacy group, which works with state hospital patients, said patients have been complaining of not being able to get tested for COVID-19, even when they’re symptomatic or have been exposed.

“As we’ve learned, without access to regular testing, patients can continue potential spread while they wait to become symptomatic,” said Tina Pinedo, a spokesperson for Disability Rights Oregon.

Hospital officials could not immediately be reached about the availability of testing.

A combination of flu, the respiratory virus known as RSV and COVID-19 cases are sweeping Oregon, straining the capacity of the state’s general hospitals.

Close quarters and the coming and going of patients at the Oregon State Hospital can cause diseases to spread rapidly.

The state hospital had several COVID-related lockdowns during the pandemic, before vaccines were widely available. While the hospital largely avoided outbreaks on the scale of other institutions, like Oregon’s prisons, patients and staff felt the impact of the pandemic, with staffing crises intensifying and patients visits with family suspended for months.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com