PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon set a new record for number of coronavirus deaths recorded in a single day Tuesday by tallying 24, according to state health officials.
The Oregon Health Authority’s latest totals pushed the death toll to 936. By contrast, Oregon had tallied just 691 deaths on November 1 — a difference of 245.
“OHA extends its condolences to all who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” the agency said Tuesday. “Today’s grim milestone is another reminder of the severity and spread of the disease and the importance for all Oregonians wear masks, keep physical distance and to keep gatherings small.”
In addition to the two dozen deaths, OHA also added 1,233 new confirmed/presumptive cases, bringing the total number of infections to 76,654 since the pandemic began in March.
The agency also said the number of people who tested negative in Monday’s and Tuesday’s reports were “unusually low” because of a backlog created by a technical issue. Thus, the unprocessed test results has created an artificially high positivity rate for Tuesday.
Hospitalizations for the coronavirus dropped slightly, according to OHA. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients across Oregon dropped to 577, seven fewer than yesterday. There are 111 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds — six fewer than Monday.
The 24 victims reported Tuesday included 13 women and 11 men ranging in age from 56 to 96. Six lived in Multnomah County, 4 each in Marion and Jackson counties, 3 each in Polk and Clackamas counties, 2 in Union County and one each in Baker and Yamhill counties.
All but 4 had underlying conditions, and tests continue on those 4 people.
The cases were recorded in 33 of Oregon’s 36 counties with the tri-county region accounting for 576 of the cases.
The complete list of Tuesday’s counties: Baker (3), Benton (19), Clackamas (148), Clatsop (7), Columbia (6), Coos (14), Crook (4), Curry (6), Deschutes (60), Douglas (8), Grant (3), Harney (2), Hood River (12), Jackson (72), Jefferson (19), Josephine (11), Klamath (37), Lake (5), Lane (75), Lincoln (21), Linn (27), Malheur (11), Marion (146), Morrow (5), Multnomah (270), Polk (24), Tillamook (6), Umatilla (23), Union (9), Wasco (6), Washington (158), Wheeler (2), and Yamhill (14).