Name: Community vaccination center opens at TCC Northeast Campus
Uploaded: 2021-04-20T16:02:00-05:00
Description: Community vaccination center opens at TCC Northeast Campus

From Staff Reports

The state’s weekly new case count of COVID-19 patients continued to decrease this week, but Tulsa County’s numbers appear to be taking the opposite trend.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported that 1,675 new cases were confirmed across the state within the one-week period that ended Saturday, bringing the seven-day rolling average of new cases to 240. Oklahoma hasn’t seen a rolling seven-day average that low since June.

Tulsa County reported 428 new cases; a figure that has been slightly increasing every week since the total bottomed out four months ago at the end of a vast plummet from January, when weekly highs once surpassed 4,400.

Since the low, the region’s seven-day rolling average of new cases has ticked up from 40 to 61.

Hospitalizations reflected a similar contrast from the state to the county.

A total of 211 virus patients remained hospitalized across the state on Wednesday, the most recent data available, including 53 patients in ICU beds. Tulsa County houses 69 of those patients, with 16 in ICU beds. The region’s counts have more than doubled from a low reached in late March, however, occupancy rates at hospitals across the state remain in the green zone, or lowest level, of OSDH’s hospital surge plan.

The state reported 6,716 cumulative COVID-19 deaths confirmed through investigation on Wednesday, with no new deaths of Tulsa County residents to report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics reported 8,189 cumulative COVID deaths in Oklahoma on Wednesday, using numbers gathered only from death certificates.

A total of 445,963 cases had been confirmed in the state Wednesday since March 2020, with 73,773 of those occurring in Tulsa County residents.

Nearly 429,000 Oklahoma patients are considered to be recovered, according to OSDH data, and 10,122 cases remained active in the state Saturday. More than 1,000 cases remained active in Tulsa County, according to state data.

Also as of Saturday, the state had administered more than 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. About 914,183 Oklahomans have completed their vaccinations, and about 1.2 million have received at least one dose, according to OSDH.

Those interested in scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine appointment may do so at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov, or find other vaccination opportunities at vaccinefinder.org.

In a news release Wednesday, OSDH emphasized that the state’s case trend continues to reflect community transmission, which can be reduced by mask-wearing, hand-washing, keeping a 6-foot distance from others and not touching one’s face.

“It is critical for Oklahomans to seek out testing, with or without symptoms,” the release stated. “Diagnostic testing is freely available to all Oklahomans, and we continue to improve our ability to find and diagnose COVID-19 cases through our contact tracing efforts. If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, a public health worker may try to contact you; the need to adhere to instructions to quarantine and isolate remain critically important.”