From August 7 to August 13, Oklahoma had 4,702 confirmed cases of the Chinese coronavirus – a drop of 17% compared to the period from July 31 to August 6.
The August 7-14 death count was 45 – down 24% from July 31 – August 6.
Ninety-six percent of the total deaths in Oklahoma (638 on August 13) were people age 50 or older yet only 32% of the reported cases were in the 50-plus age category. The average age of cases was 40 years and the average age of those who passed away was 74. They youngest victim in Oklahoma was 15 years old.
Seventy-five percent of those who died in Oklahoma had at least one other chronic medical condition, with 53% having heart problems and 37% with diabetes.
As of Monday, Oklahoma had 48,711 confirmed cases with 665 deaths. Tulsa County had 11,443 cases with 116 deaths and 9,935 recoveries.
Oklahoma ranks 31st out of the 50 states with the number of coronavirus cases and is 33rd in terms of the total number of deaths plus is 39th in the cumulative death rate per 100,000 population.
“While we are encouraged to see our case numbers continue to trend down and our hospitalization numbers on the decline, I want to caution that now is not the time to ease up on our efforts,” said Interim Health Commissioner Lance Frye, M.D. “While many efforts are inconveniences now, actions like face mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing are key to stopping the spread of the virus.”
Frye issued a new statewide health advisory, calling on all Oklahomans to strengthen their commitment to combatting COVID-19 in the State.
The ‘Safer in Oklahoma’ Health Advisory reinforces public health precautions and includes the following recommendations:
- Increased public and private testing capacity;
- More tests with a turnaround time of 48 hours or less;
- An enhanced data collection system;
- Mask recommendations for people 11 and older, for populations in communal living facilities;
- Mask and table distancing guidelines for restaurants when the county is in elevated (red or orange) alert levels;
- A mask policy for travelers entering Oklahoma from areas with high levels of community spread;
- A limit to indoor gatherings; and,
- Recommended weekly testing for all staff at long-term care facilities.
The full ‘Safer in Oklahoma’ Health Advisory is posted to the coronavirus.health.ok.gov website.
Current state testing capacity through our public health lab network is up to over 6,000 tests per day, with a turnaround time within 48-72 hours. Oklahoma has recently added an additional contracted lab to this network with the ability to process 30,000 tests per day with the same short turnaround time.
To date, Oklahoma has seen 46,103 confirmed positive cases and 638 deaths due to COVID-19, with 7% cumulative positivity per specimen.
For more information on contact tracing, visit coronavirus.health.ok.gov.