Oregon COVID cases up 140% this week, hospitalizations 57%

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon set a record for the number of new COVID-19 cases Wednesday for the third time in a week. Health officials say there are 6,203 new confirmed or presumptive cases Wednesday, smashing a record set just the day before. New cases were up 140% from a week ago and hospitalizations were up 57% from the same period last week. Roughly 20% of tests are positive for the virus as the highly contagious omicron variant takes hold. Oregon also reported nine new deaths. The state also administered nearly 35,000 COVID-19 tests Tuesday — the sixth-highest single daily count since the pandemic began.