PORTLAND, Ore — Oregon has set new records for the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations recorded in a single week.
The Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) weekly report released Wednesday says there were 8,687 new cases in the state from Monday, Nov. 16 to Sunday, Nov. 22. That's a 34% increase compared to the previous week.
The most recent weekly report indicates the state averaged 1,241 new cases per day, with four consecutive days of record-high case counts.
Hospitalizations for coronavirus patients rose to 366 this week, a 26% increase. OHA has been reporting an increase in patients going to the hospital since late October, and there have been concerns over hospital capacity if the trend continues.
Another 61 coronavirus patients died this week, nearly doubling last week's total of 31, the weekly report says.
From Nov. 15 to Nov. 21, 129,564 people were tested for the coronavirus, and 7.2% of the tests came back positive.
This figure represents a change in the way OHA is calculating test positivity, the weekly report says. The changes come after a KGW revealed the current method underreports the actual number of tests given on a daily basis, which pushes up the state’s positivity rate.
"OHA is now using a 'test-based' method, whereby all electronic lab reports received by OHA will be used to calculate percent positivity," the report says.
There have been 68,503 cases in Oregon since the start of the pandemic. The death toll is at 867 people.
