In a two-week span that has left numerous coronavirus records shattered, several more fell Thursday as the Oregon Health Authority reported its highest daily case count, its largest number of reported deaths and the average number of daily cases neared 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic began.
The agency announced 1,225 new suspected or confirmed cases of the disease and 20 new deaths. The death toll in the state passed 800 with Thursday’s news, less than three weeks after eclipsing the 700 mark. Hospitalizations also continued to grow, reaching a record 414.
One of the primary drivers of the spread of the virus is people who don’t take the illness seriously, said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen.