As Oregon surpassed its COVID-19 hospitalization record on Tuesday, Governor Kate Brown announced that she is issuing two new coronavirus-related mandates: a vaccination requirement for state employees and statewide indoor mask requirements. The details about the statewide mask requirement will be outlined during a news conference Wednesday. State employees will be required to be fully vaccinated on or before Oct. 18 or six weeks after a “COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration”, whichever is later. The Oregon Health Authority reported 2,329 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of the start of Tuesday with nine new COVID-related deaths, including one in Wasco County, and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients in Oregon has surpassed the previous pandemic high set back in November. The OHA says a 72-year-old man from Wasco County who tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday died on Saturday at his residence. The presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed. In its Tuesday report, the OHA reported 42 new COVID-19 cases in Wasco County, seven in Hood River County, and one in Gilliam County. The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon in the Tuesday report was 635, which is 60 more than Monday, and there are 164 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit beds, which is up by 16.