Oregon reported more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday than in any other daily report since the pandemic began.
Fifty-nine deaths were listed in the report. The previous high was 54 deaths listed for a single day. That happened once last December, and then again in January and September of this year.
OHSU staff in the intensive care unit at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore., Aug. 19, 2021. OHSU has four intensive care units, and on this unit every bed is critically ill with COVID-19.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Although 59 deaths were reported on Thursday, they may have happened days or weeks ago. The Oregon Health Authority is expected to send out more specific details on Friday.
The seven-day average of daily deaths has now hit 33, which is the highest it’s ever been, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Oregon Health Authority reports that the COVID-19 death toll in the state is now 3,959 people. Oregon has seen a total of nearly 340,000 cases.