Garfield County man one of 13 deaths reported by OSDH Tuesday; COVID-19 cases up by 1,089

ENID, Okla. — Thirteen deaths, including one in Garfield County, reported Tuesday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health pushed the overall number of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 and died past the 500 mark.

There were 1,089 new COVID-19 cases, including 15 in Northwest Oklahoma counties, according to the OSDH on Tuesday.

An Enid man in the 73701 Zip Code was one of three in the 50-64 age group who had tested positive for COVID-19 and died, according to OSDH. Others were a McCurtain County man and a Tulsa County woman. Ten were in the 65 and older age group and were men from Canadian and Stephens counties and two from Oklahoma County and women from Cleveland, Kay, Rogers and Wagoner counties and two from Tulsa County.

There have been 509 total deaths since the first case of the virus was confirmed by the Health Department in the state in early March. None of the deaths reported Tuesday occurred in the last 24 hours.

Overall, the state had a cumulative 33,775 cases of the virus, according to Tuesday's Oklahoma State Department of Health report. That number of cases represents less than 1%, or .85, of Oklahoma's population, listed at 3,956,971 in July 2019, according to census.gov.

Of the total cases in Oklahoma, 6,903, a single-day decrease of 35, were active as of Tuesday, July 28, and 26,363, just more than 78%, have recovered, including 1,111 since Monday's OSDH report. Of the total cases in Garfield County, 111 were active on Tuesday, according to OSDH data.

Other COVID-19 case increases among Northwest Oklahoma counties on Tuesday included seven in Kingfisher County, five in Blaine County, three in Grant County and two in Woods County.

Northwest Oklahoma communities seeing increases in cases on Tuesday were 13 in Enid; two each in Kingfisher, Medford and Watonga; and one each in Alva, Cashion, Lamont, Okarche and Waukomis. Cashion and Longdale each decreased by one case.

State numbers

There have been 2,987 cumulative hospitalizations associated with COVID-19, an increase of 115 since Monday's OSDH report. Of those, 663 were hospitalized, an increase of 67, with 228 in intensive care, an increase of 21, based on OSDH data Tuesday evening.

Integris Bass Baptist Health Center reported Tuesday it has four patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. St. Mary's Regional Medical Center has five patients.

Of the 595,277 specimens taken by OSDH, 555,351, or 93.3%, have been negative for the virus.

Increases of cases per age group were 365 in 18-35, 253 in 36-49, 199 in 50-64, 150 in 65 and older, 95 in 5-17 and 32 in 0-4, according to the OSDH on Tuesday.

Cumulative totals of confirmed cases as of Tuesday were 782 in the 0-4 age group, 2,816 in the 5-17 age group, 12,151 in the 18-35 age group, 7,363 in the 36-49 age group, 5,941 in the 50-64 age group and 4,720 in the 65 and older age group. Two were listed as "unknown." The average age of those with COVID-19 is 40.2, based on OSDH data.

Of those testing positive, 17,502 have been female and 16,228 have been male. There are 45 listed as "unknown" gender, according to OSDH data on Tuesday.

Of the overall 509 deaths in the state associated with the virus and confirmed by the OSDH as of Tuesday, 404 or 79.37%, have been 65 and older; 80 or 15.72%, have been in the 50-64 age group; 16, or 3.14%, have been in the 36-49 age group; eight, or 1.57%, have been in the 18-35 age group; and one, or .20%, has been in the 5-17 age group. More men, 268, than women, 241, have succumbed to the virus. The average age of those who have died is 74.5.

OSDH reports 77.2% of those who have died have had a pre-existing condition. Nearly 48% of the deaths, 238, have been long-term care or nursing home cases, according to OSDH. There have been 1,341 cases among long-term care residents and 798 cases among staff, according to OSDH's Executive Report filed Monday evening. Those numbers were not updated on Tuesday's report.

Data shows deaths in 49 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, with 93 in Tulsa County; 92 in Oklahoma County; 42 in Cleveland County; 39 in Washington County; 21 each in McCurtain and Wagoner counties; 19 in DelawareCounty; 16 in Muskogee County; 13 in Rogers County; 12 each in Caddo and Creek counties; 10 each in Kay and Osage counties; nine in Comanche County; seven each in Greer and Texas counties; six each in Grady and Pottawatomie counties; five each in Adair, Canadian, Mayes and Seminole counties; four each in Garfield, Garvin and McClain counties; three each in Carter, Jackson, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg and Sequoyah counties; two each in Cotton, Lincoln, Noble, Ottawa, Stephens and Pontotoc counties; and one each in Bryan, Cherokee, Choctaw, Hughes, Kiowa, Latimer, Leflore, Logan, Major, McIntosh, Nowata and Tillman counties.

Northwest Oklahoma

COVID-19 data released Monday for Northwest Oklahoma counties shows Garfield with 306 cases, 191 recovered, 111 active and four deaths, including one reported July 23, a woman in the 36-49 age group in June and an 86-year-old from Garfield County in April; Kingfisher with 88 cases, 71 recovered and 17 active; Noble with 74 cases, 58 recovered, 14 active and two deaths, including a Billings man in the 65 and older age range; Blaine with 34 cases, 24 recovered and 10 active; Woodward with 28 cases, 22 recovered and six active; Major with 22 cases, 17 recovered, four active and one death, a woman in 18-35 age group in April; Woods with 15 cases, 13 recovered and two active; Grant with 10 cases, six recovered and four active; and Alfalfa with three cases, one recovered and two active.

Cumulative COVID-19 cases by city or town in Northwest Oklahoma include 286 in Enid (103 active); 38 in Kingfisher (eight active); 24 in Woodward (six active); 23 in Hennessey (five active); 20 in Okarche (three active); 13 in Watonga (three active) 12 in Alva (two active); 11 in Cashion (three active); nine in Fairview (one active); six in Ringwood; five in Pond Creek (one active); four each in Freedom, Garber (one active), Lahoma and Longdale (one active); three in Medford (two active); two each in Dover, Helena (two active), Lamont (one active) Marshall, Meno, Okeene (one active) and Seiling; and one each in Canton, Cleo Springs (one active), Covington, Fort Supply, Hitchcock, Jet, Medford and Mooreland, according to data released by OSDH on Tuesday. Residents living in areas with under 100 in population or those with unknown addresses may be recorded as "other."

95 Enid, there have been 138 cases, with 83 recovered and three deaths, from the 73701 ZIP code, primarily the eastern half of the city, and 148 cases, with 88 recovered and one death, from 73703, or the western half, according to OSDH data on Tuesday. There also has been one recovered case in the 73705 ZIP code, which is listed as Vance Air Force Base at https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/.

COVID-19 testing

State Health Department officials are encouraging Oklahomans to get tested for COVID-19, saying recently that due to adequate supplies, residents no longer need to exhibit symptoms or report exposure to someone with the virus to get in line for testing.

Free testing for COVID-19 is ongoing at the Garfield County and other state Health Departments. Testing is by appointment only for Blaine County, 521 W. 4th, Watonga, (580) 623-7977; Garfield County, 2501 S. Mercer, Enid, (580) 233-0650; Grant County, 115 N. Main, Medford, (580) 395-2906; Kingfisher County, 124 E. Sheridan, courthouse annex room #101, Kingfisher, (405) 375-3008; Major County, 501 E. Broadway, Fairview, (580) 227-3362; Noble County, 300 Fir St., Perry, (580) 336-2257; Woods County, 511 Barnes St., Alva, (580) 327-3192; and Woodward County, 1631 Texas Ave., Woodward, (580) 256-6416. For a full list of county drive-through testing, go to https://coronavirus.health.ok.gov/drive-thru-testing. Some health department also advise the public to check their Facebook pages for more information regarding testing.

COVID-19 signs

Emergency warning signs for COVID-19 are trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, bluish lips or face, according to the CDC. More information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html.

Those with symptoms of COVID-19 should call ahead to local emergency rooms. Those with minor symptoms should contact their regular physicians.

Resources and information on COVID-19 can be obtained by calling 211 or going to https://covidresources.ok.gov/.

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