SALEM — Oregon’s official death toll linked to COVID-19 surpassed 9,000 people since the start of the pandemic, according to state data released Wednesday, Jan. 4.

The state has now recorded 9,024 COVID-related fatalities, which includes 62 newly disclosed deaths. As of last week, Oregon through the pandemic had the eighth-lowest death rate among states, according to federal data.

At least 2,859 Oregonians died last year from COVID-related causes, less than in the previous year but more than in the first year of the pandemic.

Included in the state’s official fatality count are people whose death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause or contributing factor to death; those who were confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases who died within 60 days of exposure, symptoms or testing positive; and those who tested positive within 14 days of being hospitalized and who died from any cause during hospitalization or within 60 days of being discharged.

Since the start of the pandemic, about 85% of the people who died with COVID-19 were at least 60 years old, with those 80 and older accounting for the most deaths.

Meanwhile, Oregon in the past week reported about 2,900 newly identified coronavirus cases, although that is an undercount that does not capture at-home testing. Reported cases, test positivity rates and hospitalizations have not shifted dramatically in recent weeks.