Oregon’s Weekly COVID-19 Report Details New Highs for Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths

Under a new counting method, testing is also way up.

Drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic at Portland Community College Cascade campus on Dec. 2. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The Oregon Health Authority today released summary statistics on the worst week yet of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diagnosed cases increased 14% for the week ending Dec. 6, hospitalizations rose 24% to 494, and deaths totaled 133, up from 86 the previous week.

Although older Oregonians continue to account for the majority of deaths—76% of the 1,045 people who have died are over 70—the age group most likely to become infected are 20- to 29-year-olds, who account for 21.4% of all cases.

The state also announced 170,964 COVID-19 tests were given during the week, with a positivity rate of 8.1%. That number of tests is sharply higher—by about a factor of 3—since the state recently began reporting all tests, rather than just the number of unique individuals who have been tested. Reporting all tests yields a higher number because many people have gotten multiple tests.

Today's count, not included in the numbers above: 1,243 new cases, 30 new deaths, and a hospitalization total that has now reached 580.

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