September marks new peak of Oregon COVID-19 deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Officials say at least 610 Oregonians died from COVID-19 complications in September, marking the highest fatality count of any month of the pandemic. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the death tally increased Wednesday as the Oregon Health Authority announced 1,278 cases and 33 more fatalities connected to COVID-19, including 15 deaths in September. State data shows that pushed last month’s total beyond the prior record of 606 deaths set in December. The highly transmissible delta variant drove a summer COVID-19 surge in people who were mostly unvaccinated. Oregon’s deadliest span from 2020 occurred before vaccines were widely available.