Unemployment has a big drop

America is opening up again, as reflected by the May jobs’ report and Oklahoma is seeing a decline in the impact of the coronavirus.

And the U.S. jobless rate fell to 13.3% from April’s 14.7%, a post-World War II high.

 Employment remained down by nearly 20 million jobs, or 13%, since February, the month before  states shut down huge segments of their economies.

From May 29 to June 5, confirmed cases rose by only 8% while health officials reported that 545 patients recovered – a drop of 38%. And the 18 deaths statewide reflected a drop of 18%.

The coronavirus is losing its grip on Oklahoma.

On June 8, Oklahoma had 7,205 confirmed cases with 6,014 recoveries and 348 deaths.

The average age of the patients was 48 but the average age of those who died was 75. The youngest case was less than a year old and the oldest was 102. The youngest Oklahoman to die from the coronavirus was 22.

Ninety-seven percent of the deaths were people ages 50 and older. Almost 75% of the fatalities were people with one chronic medical condition, such as heart disease, circulatory disease, diabetes or lung or liver failure.

COVID-19 testing sites are open in multiple cities in Oklahoma as a result of a cross-county, city and state health system partnership. Visit this page for updated dates and locations.

For more information, visit coronavirus.health.ok.gov.

Antibody testing

Oklahoma Blood Institute announced it will provide free COVID-19 antibody tests for all blood donors ages 18 and older. Oklahoma Blood Institute is the first blood center in the state to offer COVID-19 antibody screening service to its donors.

This testing initiative, provided at all donor centers and mobile blood drives, comes in the wake of an immediate need for blood donations due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations.

“Oklahoma is now in Phase 3 of re-opening, and many of us are going back to work and resuming activities,” said Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of OSU Center for Health Sciences and Oklahoma’s Secretary of Science & Innovation;. “This testing innovation is key to empowering Oklahomans with the health information they need as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 crisis and evaluate effective methods to keep Oklahomans safe. The medical community commends Oklahoma Blood Institute for providing this valuable testing free of charge.”

Oklahoma Blood Institute’s medical laboratory technicians will test each blood sample individually. A tube will be drawn at the time of donation, and antibody test results will be mailed post-donation. Donors may opt out of the antibody test.

Oklahoma Blood Institute supports the inventory for patients in more than 160 hospitals, medical facilities and air ambulances statewide. Appointments can be made by calling 1-877-340-8777 or visiting obi.org.

Nursing home testing

Governor Kevin Stitt said the Governor’s Solution Task Force and the Oklahoma State Department of Health tested more than 35,800 residents and staff at 265 nursing homes and long-term care facilities across Oklahoma during the month of May.

Ahead of the initial goal of May 31, the State tested all facilities that already had a confirmed case of COVID-19 as well as facilities that had residents and/or staff reporting symptoms.

Of this nursing home and long-term care facility population, 3.18% of tests returned with a positive result, equaling to 714 residents and 428 staff members.

OSDH expects to conclude testing on the remaining nursing homes and long-term care facilities soon.

“Thanks to hardworking public employees and health care professionals across the state, we were able to quadruple our overall COVID-19 testing in May,” said Gov. Stitt.

Currently, 91 facilities in Oklahoma have had at least one positive case of COVID-19. Of these facilities, 98% were found to be following CDC guidelines and only two were reported for violations, which have been appropriately documented and partnerships formed to help these facilities adjust practices and enhance services for their residents.

Additionally, teams from the Oklahoma National Guard have partnered with the OSDH to professionally sanitize facilities, and the state has helped some facilities secure alternative locations to isolate and quarantine residents.