Oklahoma tops 1,000 deaths associated with COVID-19 | Covid19

ENID, Okla. — Oklahoma has seen more than 1,000 deaths due to COVID-19 or complications from the virus since it was first confirmed in the state March 6, 2020.

There were 11 deaths, including three in Woodward County, announced Saturday, bringing the total to 1,004, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Another 990 cases also were confirmed.

Deaths reported were eight women and three men, with 10 in the 65 and older age range and one in the 18-35 age range, according to OSDH data.

Woodward County deaths encompassed two at Woodward Skilled Nursing and Therapy and one from Mooreland, according to the OSDH reports. Others were four from Oklahoma County and one each from Caddo, Rogers, Texas and Tulsa counties. OSDH does not list age and gender of the deceased per county on weekends.

The 1.2% increase in cases brought the cumulative number to 83,510, with 12,752 of those active, a single-day increase of 136, and 69,754, or 83.5%, who have recovered, including 343 since Friday’s OSDH report.

Weekly report

Oklahoma also saw a 19.8% rise in cases in a week-to-week comparison, with 7,928 reported Sept. 18-24 compared to 6,618 Sept 4-10, according to the OSDH weekly report released Friday. New cases topped the 1,000 mark every day this past week except Saturday.

There also was a 1.9% increase in recovered cases and 5.6% fewer deaths, with 51 reported Sept. 18-24 compared to 54 the prior week, OSDH data shows. Hospitalizations of those testing positive for COVID-19 continues to rise, with 432 in the past week, according to the weekly report.

During the past week, the 15-24 age group led the increase with 22.8% of the new cases. The 75-84 age group made up 3.7% of the new cases and 33.3% of the deaths during the week of Sept. 18-24.

“Oklahoma currently ranks 26th in the number of total reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and 16th in the cumulative incidence (per 100,000 persons) of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S.,” the OSDH reported Friday.

Department officials continue to urge social distancing and wearing masks when around other from outside the household family and regular handwashing. OSDH also says testing of those with or without systems is “critical” for contact tracing efforts, and that free testing is available at county health departments.

Prison outbreak

The past week was hard for Woodward County, which saw an outbreak of more than 800 cases at William S. Key Correctional Center and a death of an inmate reported Tuesday in addition to the three deaths announced Saturday.

The latest Department of Corrections report on Friday shows the facility had 837 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19, with three of those hospitalized and 33 recovered, 137 in quarantine and 833 in isolation and 12 staff members positive with five of those recovered.

Other Northwest Oklahoma prisons with reports of COVID-19 are Bill Johnson Correctional Center in Alva with 1 positive inmate, 55 recovered, nine in quarantine, one in isolation and four positive staff with one recovered, and Enid Community Correctional Center with 20 inmates positive, 25 recovered, 32 quarantined and 20 in isolation.

OSDH reported at a Thursday news conference in Oklahoma City that James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena had 30 inmates test positive for COVID-19, but the DOC website shows no current cases with three recovered. A DOC spokesman said they gather the information from OSDH but there can be a delay in reports. There has been a steady increase in cases in Helena reported by the OSDH, with 44 cases and 31 recovered as of Saturday.

Local and area numbers

Garfield County saw an increase of 30 cases on Saturday for a total of 1,634 overall, with 330 of those active and 1,284 recovered. Enid had 1,529 cases, a single-day increase of 27, with 300 active and 1,209 recovered. There have been 20 deaths in the county, all Enid residents.

Other Northwest Oklahoma county case increases on Saturday were six in Kingfisher, three in Woodward, two each in Major and Woods and one each in Alfalfa and Blaine. Case increases in cities and towns included two each in Alva and Hennessey and one each in Fairview, Fort Supply, Garber, Lamont, Waukomis and Woodward. Pond Creek and Seiling each saw a reduction of one case.

State numbers

The 18-35 age group continued to lead the increase in cases, with 320 on Saturday, according to the OSDH website. The age group made up 36.5% of all cases in the state, according to OSDH data. Other new case gains were 225 in the 50-64 age group, 197 in the 36-49 age group, 122 in the 5-17 age group, 118 in the 65 and older age group and 11 in the 0-4 group.

Cumulative totals of confirmed cases as of Saturday were 1,659 in the 0-4 age group, 7,866 in the 5-17 age group, 30,489 in the 18-35 age group, 17,777 in the 36-49 age group, 14,533 in the 50-64 age group and 11,176 in the 65 and older age group. There were 10 listed as unknown age. The average age of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 39.1. 

There have been 43,549 Oklahoman women who have tested positive and 39,912 men. There were 49 listed as unknown gender, according to OSDH data on Saturday.

Of the overall 1,004 deaths in the state in which the virus was the cause or a contributor, 808 have been 65 and older and 153 have been ages 50-64, making up a combined 95.7% of the total. There have been 31 deaths in the 36-49 age group, 11 in the 18-35 age group and one in the 5-17 age group. More men, 549, than women, 455, have succumbed to the virus, according to OSDH on Saturday. The average age of those who have died is 74.7.

OSDH reports 75.5% of those who have died have had a pre-existing condition. Of the deaths, 405 or 40.8%, have been long-term care or nursing home cases, according to OSDH. There have been 2,651 cases among long-term care residents and 1,543 cases among staff, according to Friday’s Executive Report.

Data shows deaths in 66 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, with 194 in Oklahoma County; 160 in Tulsa County; 70 in Cleveland County; 50 in Rogers County; 40 in Washington County; 34 in McCurtain County; 33 in Creek County; 26 in Wagoner County; 25 in Delaware County; 22 in Muskogee County; 21 in Caddo County; 20 in Garfield County; 19 in Pittsburg County; 17 each in Canadian and LeFlore counties; 13 each in Comanche, Kay and Osage counties; 11 each in Grady, Mayes and Sequoyah counties; 10 each in Adair, Jackson, Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties; nine in Texas County; eight each in Carter, Cherokee and Greer counties; seven each in McClain and Okmulgee counties; six each in Ottawa, Payne and Seminole counties; five each in Garvin, McIntosh and Stephens counties; four each in Bryan, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Nowata, Okfuskee and Woodward counties; three each in Cotton, Pawnee and Pontotoc counties; two each in Choctaw, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Marshall, Noble, Pushmataha and Tillman counties; and one each in Atoka, Beckham, Blaine, Craig, Dewey, Harper, Logan, Love, Major, Murray and Roger Mills counties.

Northwest Oklahoma

COVID-19 data per county released Saturday by OSDH shows Garfield with 1,634 cases, 1,284 recovered, 330 active and 20 deaths, all in Enid, reported Sept. 25, 24, 17, 12, 11, 10, 4, Aug. 29, 27, 26, 18, 15, 14, 13, and 6, July 28 and 23, June 21 and April 10; Woodward with 1,031 cases, 170 recovered, 857 active and four deaths, two in Woodward and one in Mooreland reported Sept. 26 and an inmate reported Sept. 22; Kingfisher with 345 cases, 303 recovered, 40 active and two deaths, both in Hennessey, reported Sept. 1 and Aug. 27; Noble with 151 cases, 129 recovered, 20 active and two deaths, including a Billings man in the 65 and older age range; Blaine with 126 cases, 97 recovered, 28 active and one death, a Canton man, reported Aug. 28; Woods with 108 cases, 38 recovered and 70 active; Major with 90 cases, 66 recovered, 23 active and one death, a woman in 18-35 age group in April; Alfalfa with 64 cases, 39 recovered and 25 active; Grant with 46 cases, 35 recovered and 11 active.

Cumulative COVID-19 cases by city or town in Northwest Oklahoma include 1,529 in Enid (300 active); Fort Supply 834 (808 active); 160 in Woodward (48 active); 155 in Hennessey (17 active); 117 in Kingfisher (nine active); 93 in Alva (62 active); 54 in Watonga (seven active); 44 in Helena (13 active); 40 in Fairview (eight active); 39 in Okarche (two active); 32 in Mooreland (three active); 25 in Garber (five active), 23 in Canton (five active); 21 in Cashion (six active); 19 in Ringwood (four active); 18 in Waukomis (seven active); 16 in Medford (five active); 15 each in Dover (two active) and Seiling (three active); 14 in Cherokee (10 active); 13 each in Lahoma (two active) and Okeene (seven active); 11 in Billings (two active); 10 in Pond Creek (four active); nine in Longdale (three active); eight each Fairmont (three active), Lamont (one active) and Meno (four active); seven each in Ames (two active), Kremlin (two active) and Orlando (one active); six each in Nash (one active) and Waynoka (five active); five in Covington; four each in Cleo Springs (one active), Drummond (one active), Freedom, Hitchcock, Marshall (one active) and Mulhall; three each in Hunter (three active), Jet and Wakita; two each in Deer Creek, Goltry (one active) and Hillsdale; and one each in Burlington and Carmen (one active), according to data released by OSDH on Saturday. Residents living in areas with under 100 in population or those with unknown addresses may be recorded as “other.”

In Enid, there have been 832 cases, with 655 recovered and 10 deaths from the 73701 ZIP code, primarily the eastern half of the city, and 689 cases, with 546 recovered and 10 deaths from 73703, or the western half, according to OSDH data on Saturday. 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 cases

Long-term care or nursing home COVID-19 cases listed by OSDH in Garfield County include 24 cases with 18 recovered and five deaths at Golden Oaks Village; 15 cases with 13 recovered and one death at Kenwood Manor; 11 cases with eight recovered at The Living Center; seven cases with six recovered at The Arbors Assisted Living Center; five recovered cases at Greenbrier Nursing Home and one recovered case at Greenbrier Village Residential Living; three cases with two recovered at The Commons; two recovered cases at Enid Senior Care; and one recovered case at Garland Road Nursing and Rehab Center, according to OSDH data released Friday evening.

COVID-19 cases in area long-term care facilities include two cases with one recovered at Summers HealthCare in Blaine County; one recovered case at Community Health Center in Grant County; one recovered case at Billings Fairchild Center in Noble County; three recovered cases each at First Shamrock Care Center, two recovered case at Countrywood Assisted Living and Memory Care and 70 cases with 67 recovered and two deaths at Hennessey Nursing & Rehab, in Kingfisher County; two cases, one recovered in Fairview Fellowship Home for Senior Citizens in Major County; two recovered cases each at Beadles Nursing Home and Share Medical Center in Woods County; 20 cases with 19 recovered at Mooreland Heritage Manor and 27 cases with 22 recovered and two deaths at Woodward Skilled Nursing and Therapy in Woodward County; and five recovered cases at Center of Family Love in Okarche, just south of the Kingfisher County line, in Canadian County, according to OSDH.

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/. 

BREAKING NEWS on the COVID-19 threat and its impact is available at https://www.enidnews.com/virus and is free for all readers. That includes information on closings and cancellations.

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•• Information also can be found at https://coronavirus.health.ok.gov/ and https://www.cdc.gov/.

This story is developing and will be updated.