The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released Thursday, showed a slight drop in weekly cases, but an increase in virus-associated hospitalizations and deaths.  The OHA reported 15,753 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week that ended Sunday.   That represents a 3% decrease and follows eight straight weeks of rising cases.  COVID-19 related hospitalizations rose again – though less steeply – from 1,000 to 1,036.  That marked another pandemic high.  It is the ninth straight weekly increase.  There were 176 reported COVID-19 related deaths, up from 119 reported the previous week.  That marked the sixth consecutive week of rising deaths.  The OHA reported 146,344 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Aug. 29 through Sept. 4.  The percentage of positive tests increased to 11.1%.  The OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released today, found that 80.7% of the 13,798 reported COVID-19 cases between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4 occurred in people who were unvaccinated.