OSDH: 28,065 COVID-19 cases, 13 more deaths; 12 more cases in NW Okla.

ENID, Okla. — Oklahoma saw an increase of 918 new COVID-19 cases — 12 in Northwest Oklahoma counties — and 13 deaths reported Wednesday, July 22, 2020, by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

A Billings man in the 65 and older age group was the latest death attributed to COVID-19 in Northwest Oklahoma, according to OSDH information on Tuesday. There have been a total of 474 deaths in the state per Wednesday morning data from OSDH.

Of the deaths reported Wednesday, 12 were in the 65 and older range — one woman and two men from McCurtain County, one woman and one man from Muskogee County, three women and two men from Oklahoma County and two men from Seminole and Tulsa counties. A Tulsa County woman in the 36-49 age range also died. Two of the deaths were in the last 24 hours, according to OSDH, which did not specify when the others occurred.

Overall, the state has seen 28,065 COVID-19 cases since March, which is less than 1%, or .71, of its population, listed at 3,956,971 in July 2019, according to census.gov. Of the cumulative cases, there are 5,231 currently active, and 21,596 have recovered, according to OSDH on Wednesday. OSDH defines recovered as "not hospitalized or deceased and 14 days after onset/report."

Northern and northwestern Oklahoma counties with case increases on Wednesday, per the OSDH website, included four in Noble, three each in Garfield and Woods, two each in Kingfisher and Woodward and one each in Blaine and Major. Additional cases per city included two in Enid and one each in Fairview, Freedom, Hennessey, Okarche, Watonga and Woodward.

There have been a cumulative 2,540 hospitalizations associated with COVID-19, with 630 currently hospitalized with or suspected of having the virus, according to OSDH on Wednesday. Of those, 257 are in intensive care, according to information provided by OSDH on Tuesday evening.

In Enid, there were six patients who had tested positive with COVID-19 admitted at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center and three at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, according to spokeswomen at the hospitals just after noon on Tuesday.

State numbers

OSDH still is trying to align its website dashboard to the 820 backlogged cases that were discovered earlier this week. The website is showing 28,065 in its top carousel but a lesser number in its summary report.

"As the (interim health) Commissioner (Dr. Lance Frye) warned in yesterday’s press conference, it will take a few more days to get the dashboard aligned with the 820 backlog numbers, due to the verification process on the demographics of each case," said Rob Crissinger, OSDH spokesman.

In Oklahoma, there have been 510,359 total specimens collected for COVID-19 testing, with 478,297, just less than 94%, that have been negative, according to OSDH.

Cumulative totals of confirmed cases of the virus as of Wednesday were 609 in the 0-4 age group, 2,164 in the 5-17 age group, 9,929 in the 18-35 age group, 5,935 in the 36-49 age group, 4,780 in the 50-64 age group and 3,865 in the 65 and older age group. One case was listed as age unknown.

Of those testing positive, 14,034, or 50.01%, have been female, and 13,165 or 46.90%, have been male. There are 102 listed as "unknown" gender, according to OSDH data on Wednesday.

Of the overall 474 deaths in the state associated with the virus, 380 or 80.17%, have been 65 and older; 70 or 14.77%, have been in the 50-64 age group; 16, or 3.38%, have been in the 36-49 age group; 7, or 1.48%, have been in the 18-35 age group; and one, or .21%, has been in the 5-17 age group. More men, 249, than women, 225, have succumbed to the virus, according to OSDH on Wednesday. The average age of those who have died is 74.9.

OSDH reports 78.3% of those who have died have had a pre-existing condition. Just less than half of the deaths, 225, have been long-term care or nursing home cases, according to OSDH. There have been 1,216 cases among long-term care residents and 726 cases among staff, according to OSDH's Executive Report filed Tuesday evening.

Data shows deaths in 49 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, with 89 in Tulsa County; 85 in Oklahoma County; 40 in Cleveland County; 39 in Washington County; 19 each in Delaware and Wagoner counties; 17 in McCurtain County; 16 in Muskogee County; 11 each in Caddo and Rogers counties; 9 each in Comanche, Creek, Kay and Osage counties; 7 each in Greer and Texas counties; 6 in Pottawatomie County; 5 each in Grady, Mayes and Seminole counties; 4 each in Adair, Canadian and McClain counties; 3 each in Carter, Garvin, Jackson, Pawnee, Pittsburg and Sequoyah counties; 2 each in Cotton, Garfield, Lincoln, Noble, Ottawa, Payne and Pontotoc counties; and 1 each in Bryan, Cherokee, Choctaw, Hughes, Kiowa, Latimer, Leflore, Logan, Major, McIntosh, Nowata, Stephens and Tillman counties.

Northwest Oklahoma

COVID-19 data released Wednesday for Northwest Oklahoma counties shows Garfield with 186 cases, 129 recovered and two deaths, a woman in the 36-49 age group in June and an 86-year-old from Garfield County in April; Kingfisher with 70 cases, 54 recovered; Noble with 65 cases, 49 recovered and two death; Blaine with 24 cases, 18 recovered; Woodward with 23 cases, 16 recovered; Major with 18 cases, 16 recovered and one death, a woman in 18-35 age group in April; Woods with 15 cases, 11 recovered; Grant with five cases, three recovered; and Alfalfa with one recovered case.

Cumulative COVID-19 cases by city or town in Northwest Oklahoma include 170 in Enid (51 active); 30 in Kingfisher (nine active); 19 each in Hennessey (five active) and Woodward (six active); 17 in Okarche (one active); 11 in Watonga (two active); 10 in Alva (one active); eight in Fairview; seven in Cashion; six each in Geary (one active) and Ringwood (one active); four each in Freedom (four active), Garber (one active), Lahoma and Pond Creek (three active); three Longdale (one active); two each in Dover (one active), Laverne, Marshall, Meno, Okeene (one active), Seiling and Waukomis (one active); and one each in Canton (one active), Fort Supply, Hitchcock, Jet, Lamont, Medford and Mooreland, according to data released by OSDH on Wednesday. Residents living in areas with under 100 in population or those with unknown addresses may be recorded as "other."

In Enid, there have been 86 cases with 60 recovered, from the 73701 Zip Code, primarily the eastern half of the city, and 84 cases with 58 recovered from 73703, or the western half, according to OSDH data on Wedneday. 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/.

Long-term care facilities

Nursing homes with resident- or staff-related COVID-19 cases have remained light in Northwest Oklahoma, according to OSDH reports, with eight in Enid — three at The Arbors, one of which was reported July 14 in the OSDH's Executive Report; two at The Commons in April; and one at Garland Road Nursing & Rehabilitation, which officials at the facility say subsequently tested negative. Golden Oaks Retirement Community verified July 3 that a contract employee had tested positive for COVID-19 and on July 15 that another contract employee had tested positive, but the facility is not listed on the OSDH report.

Positive tests in long-term care facilities in the area include one each in Blaine, Woods and Woodward counties, five in Kingfisher County and five at Center of Love in Okarche in Canadian County. There have been two in Major County, including one staff member at Seiling Nursing Center who lived in Major County, tested positive and died in April, according to OSDH data.

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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