© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oklahoma Worsens To Fourth-Highest COVID Test Positivity Rate In Nation: White House Report

Office of Vice President Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence (left), who heads the White House coronavirus task force, at a meeting on Mon., Nov. 30 in Washington, D.C. In a Sunday report, the task force called Oklahoma's mitigation efforts "inadequate."

Vice President Mike Pence's White House coronavirus task force weekly report for Oklahoma does not contain much good news, noting that the state now ranks fourth-worst in the nation for its rate of COVID test positivity and 19th for most new cases per 100,000 residents, both red zone values.

"99% of all counties in Oklahoma have moderate or high levels of community transmission (yellow, orange, or red zones), with 96% having high levels of community transmission (red zone)," the report, dated Sunday but only publicly released by the state health department Wednesday, reads.

"The depth of viral spread across Oklahoma remains significant and without public health orders in place compelling Oklahomans to act differently, the spread will remain unyielding with significant impact on the healthcare system," Pence's team writes. "Mitigation and messaging need to be further strengthened as other states have done. Effective practices to decrease transmission in public spaces include requiring masks, limiting restaurant indoor capacity to <25%, and limiting bar hours until cases and test positivity decrease to the yellow zone. Strong mitigation efforts by neighboring states are showing early impact."

The report says the national outlook is also grim.

"The COVID risk to all Americans is at a historic high," it reads. "The national daily COVID incidence after Memorial Day, but before the summer surge, was fewer than 25,000 new cases/day and is now more than 180,000 new cases/day; COVID inpatients then were fewer than 30,000 but are now more than 90,000; fatalities have more than doubled. We are in a very dangerous place due to the current, extremely high COVID baseline and limited hospital capacity; a further post-Thanksgiving surge will compromise COVID patient care, as well as medical care overall.

"If state and local policies do not reflect the seriousness of the current situation, all public health officials must alert the state population directly. It must be made clear that if you are over 65 or have significant health conditions, you should not enter any indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked due to the immediate risk to your health; you should have groceries and medications delivered.

"If you are under 40, you need to assume you became infected during the Thanksgiving period if you gathered beyond your immediate household. Most likely, you will not have symptoms; however, you are dangerous to others and you must isolate away from anyone at increased risk for severe disease and get tested immediately. If you are over 65 or have significant medical conditions and you gathered outside of your immediate household, you are at a significant risk for serious COVID infection; if you develop any symptoms, you must be tested immediately as the majority of therapeutics work best early in infection."

Gov. Kevin Stitt has repeatedly refused to implement many of the White House's COVID-19 recommendations, including a statewide mask mandate and the closure of bars. Stitt has declared Thursday a statewide day of prayer and fasting for those impacted by the pandemic, which as of Wednesday was known to have killed 1,812 people and infected more than 200,000.

Chris joined Public Radio Tulsa as a news anchor and reporter in April 2020. He’s a graduate of Hunter College and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, both at the City University of New York.
Related Content