The coronavirus has caused four more deaths in Oregon, according to data released Saturday by the Oregon Health Authority. That brings the total number of pandemic fatalities in the state to 26.

Before today, the state’s largest single-day increase in reported deaths was three.

Oregon now has reached 999 confirmed coronavirus cases, up by 100 from Friday’s reported total. This is also the state’s largest single-day increase in known cases. On March 27, 98 new cases were reported.

The majority of new cases were in the Portland metro region: 34 in Multnomah County, 19 in Washington County and 12 in Clackamas County.

The others were reported in Jackson (6), three cases each in Deschutes, Lane and Linn counties, two each in Benton, Columbia, Douglas and Polk counties and on each in Josephine and Klamath counties.

Three of the deaths were in Multnomah County: a 59-year-old man, who tested positive March 24 and died at home April 3; a 77-year-old woman who tested positive March 30 and died at home April 2; and a 64-year-old woman who tested positive March 23 and died April 1 at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. A 65-year-old Marion County man also died April 2 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. All four had underlying medical conditions that the Oregon Health Authority did not identify.

The actual number of Oregonians who have been infected with the virus undoubtedly is much higher than the reported number, but a shortage of tests has kept public health officials largely in the dark and limited the effectiveness of efforts to prevent the spread of the outbreak. The dearth of testing has been a problem across the U.S.

The novel coronavirus began spreading in humans late last year, and there are now about 1.1 million confirmed cases around the world. More than 59,000 people have died of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.

The U.S. has more than 300,000 confirmed cases and 8,000 deaths, with New York facing the largest outbreak. Gov. Kate Brown announced Saturday that she’s sending 140 ventilators to the Empire State.

Patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms often need to be intubated and put on a ventilator. Even with mechanical ventilation, many of these patients do not survive.

The few countries that have had success at containing infections and kept their economies going -- most notably South Korea -- have had an early, robust public health response that included testing large swaths of the population.

Oregon, with a population of just over 4.1 million, has so far tested 18,925 people for COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority reports.

Gov. Kate Brown pointed out in a tweet on Saturday that Oregon needs more testing -- as well as more protective equipment such as masks and gloves.

On Friday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that Americans start using non-medical face coverings when they leave their homes for groceries or other necessary trips. Much of the country is under stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Rob Davis contributed reporting.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

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