PORTLAND, Ore — The weekly number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Oregon hit a record-high last week, according to the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) weekly report released Wednesday.
Oregon recorded 6,491 new cases from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15, topping the previous week's record of 5,177 cases by 25.4%.
The dramatic hike stems from a series of Oregon's highest daily case counts to date, including a single-day record of 1,122 cases on Nov. 12.
OHA said testing rose by 9.7% and the percentage of tests that were positive rose from 11.9% to 12.5% — another record-high for the state.
There were 291 coronavirus patients hospitalized during the week, the highest number the state has seen during the pandemic.
Thirty-one infected patients died from Nov. 9-15, which was 26% fewer deaths than the previous week's record high of 42.
People ages 20 to 49 accounted for 51% of the cases, while people 70 and older accounted for 75% of deaths.
Because of the record case numbers, Gov. Brown issued a statewide freeze that went into effect Wednesday. The freeze imposes strict rules on social gatherings, activities and businesses across the state for two weeks. In Multnomah County, the freeze set set to last four weeks.
