Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday that 2,176 new confirmed or presumptive cases of coronavirus had been identified in the state and 30 more people had died, both record highs, as the number of fatalities surpassed 1,000.
“When I think about that I’m just horrified,” Brown said. “We are on the brink of a full blown crisis.”
The previous record high for daily cases, 1,669, was hit less than a week ago. The previous record for deaths reported on a single day, 24, was Tuesday.
Brown spoke as the state released new modeling, which showed that, in a best-case scenario, Oregon could see an average of 2,000 confirmed cases per day by Christmas Eve. If the spread of the virus accelerates, that number could climb as high as 2,700 cases.
Brown said she was thankful for the Oregonians who have complied with travel and gathering size restrictions as well as those who have embraced common-sense measures to slow the spread of the virus, like wearing masks and practicing good hand hygiene.
But with a vaccine still likely months away from widespread distribution, Brown said now was not a time for Oregonians to let their guard down.
“We are not out of this crisis yet,” she said. “I know it’s hard to imagine, but in fact our hardest days still lie ahead.”
This story will be updated.
— Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale
