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Oklahoma's 7-Day Average of New COVID Cases Jumps to New High; 43 More Dead

Photo from World Health Organization

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Wednesday 3,656 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 269,276.

Tulsa County had 385 of Wednesday's cases. Its total now stands at 44,818, second to Oklahoma County's 54,519.

The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, hit a new high, jumping from 3,376 to 3,435. The previous record of 3,387 was set the day after Thanksgiving. Oct. 5 was the last time the seven-day average was below 1,000.

Tulsa County's seven-day average of new cases dropped after hitting three straight new records, falling from 601 to 580. Sunday was the first time the county's average went above 500.

The state reported 43 deaths. Ten were in Tulsa County: two women 50 to 64 years old, and three women and five men 65 or older. Statewide, three men 36 to 49 years old, eight adults 50 to 64 years old and 22 adults 65 or older were also reported dead.

Since March 18, COVID-19 has officially killed 2,283 Oklahomans, 361 of them Tulsa County residents. The state has reported an average of 22.1 deaths the past seven days.

There were 1,728 Oklahomans with positive COVID tests hospitalized on Tuesday evening, 31 fewer than Monday's record. There were 449 COVID-positive Oklahomans in intensive care units on Tuesday, 32 fewer than on Monday. The state no longer reports hospitalized patients suspected of having COVID-19.

According to the state health department, Tulsa County had 410 COVID-positive residents hospitalized as of Monday evening, seven more than on Monday.

Over the course of the pandemic, 15,678 Oklahomans have been hospitalized for COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, the state reported 4% of its adult ICU beds and 12% of its medical surgery beds were available. Also as of Tuesday, six of Oklahoma's eight hospital regions, including Tulsa and Oklahoma counties, are at tier three of a four-tier hospital surge plan, meaning 20% to 40% of patients have tested positive for COVID-19 for at least three consecutive days. The OKC and northeast regions have had two days with 38% to 39% of patients with COVID. The northwest and east central regions are in tier two.

The state health department reported 3,331 additional patients as recovered on Tuesday, bringing the total to 231,522. Patients are considered to have recovered if they did not die, are not currently hospitalized and it has been at least 14 days since their symptoms began. Symptoms have been reported to linger for several weeks for some individuals.

The state has 35,471 active cases of COVID-19, 282 more than the day before. The record is 36,544, set on Monday.

Tulsa County reported 602 additional patients as recovered, bringing the total to 39,184. The county has 5,273 active cases, 227 fewer than the day before. The record is 5,785, set on Monday.

The state's reported overall positive test rate remained at 10.4% on Tuesday. Out of 26,964 tests reported on Tuesday, 15.2% were positive. Each positive test does not necessarily represent a unique individual.

The state also reports its cumulative positive test rate, a metric used by Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. It is calculated by dividing the number of cases by the number of negative tests plus the number of cases. As of Tuesday, that rate was 10.5%, unchanged from Monday.

Johns Hopkins uses the different rate to compare states that may track testing differently. It notes the ideal way to calculate the positivity rate is dividing the number of people who test positive by the number of people who are tested, which is how Oklahoma's overall rate is calculated.

The World Health Organization's benchmark indicating adequate testing is a 5% positive test rate.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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