Oregon again exceeds record for COVID-19 deaths as holidays loom

By Ryan Haas (OPB)
Nov. 24, 2020 9:26 p.m.

Oregon recorded 21 new deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, setting yet another record.

Deaths continue to increase in Oregon from COVID-19, with the state setting a record daily high Tuesday.

The Oregon Health Authority said it confirmed 21 deaths to the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing total deaths statewide since the pandemic began to 847.

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“Each death we record is a reminder that COVID-19 is a life-threatening virus that’s easy to catch, a warning that more Oregonians will die if we don’t contain it, and a call to action to stop its spread,” Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said in a statement.

Most of the newly recorded deaths involved people who were at least 70 years old, a 33-year-old Marion County man also died. It was not immediately clear if he had underlying health conditions.

Medical assistant Hunter Hermansen, center, registers people waiting to take a COVID-19 test at OHSU's drive-through testing site at the Oregon Convention Center, Nov. 20, 2020, in Portland, Ore. A recent spike in cases and the upcoming holidays have led to increased wait times at testing facilities.

Medical assistant Hunter Hermansen, center, registers people waiting to take a COVID-19 test at OHSU's drive-through testing site at the Oregon Convention Center, Nov. 20, 2020, in Portland, Ore. A recent spike in cases and the upcoming holidays have led to increased wait times at testing facilities.

Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

In Tuesday’s report, the Oregon Health Authority also reported 1,011 new confirmed and presumed cases of COVID-19. The state has consistently been recording more than 1,000 cases a day since the middle of last week — a concerning uptick in the unchecked spread of COVID-19 as some people plan to gather for Thanksgiving.

Health officials are also closely tracking hospital bed capacity statewide. The number of hospitalized patients is still increasing — and 113 people are currently in intensive care units in Oregon.

Officials are asking people to follow COVID-19 guidelines by wearing masks in public, practicing social distancing, and avoiding group gatherings. Oregon is currently under a “freeze” order from the governor, which discourages people from gathering in groups of more than six people from two different households.

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