The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Thursday 3,781 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 315,354.
Tulsa County had 602 of Thursday's cases. Its total now stands at 51,921, second to Oklahoma County's 61,898.
The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, remains at record levels. It dropped from 3,506 to 3,488. The record is 3,562, set on Sunday. The average had dipped to around 2,600 as reporting lagged around the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Oct. 5 was the last time the seven-day average was below 1,000.
Tulsa County's seven-day average jumped from 594 to a new high of 621. The previous record of 607 was set Jan. 4. KWGS is calculating the county's seven-day average based on days with cases reported. The Tulsa Health Department officially recorded zero cases on Jan. 1, when the state did not report cases. The state has specified a number of cases that would have been reported Jan. 1.
The state reported 39 deaths. Eight Tulsa County residents were reported dead: a man 50 to 64 years old and seven adults 65 or older. Statewide, a Kay County man 36 to 49 years old, four adults 50 to 64 years old and 26 adults 65 or older were also reported dead.
Since March 18, COVID-19 has officially killed 2,672 Oklahomans, including 437 Tulsa County residents. The state has reported an average of 26.1 deaths the past seven days.
There were 1,987 Oklahomans with positive COVID tests hospitalized on Wednesday evening, down seven from Tuesday's new high. There were 489 COVID-positive Oklahomans in intensive care units on Wednesday, five fewer than on Tuesday.
According to the state health department, Tulsa County had 456 COVID-positive residents hospitalized as of Wednesday evening, nine more than on Tuesday and a new high for a third straight day.
Over the course of the pandemic, 18,193 Oklahomans have been hospitalized for COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, the state reported 4% of its adult ICU beds and 9% of its medical surgery beds were available. Also as of Wednesday, seven of Oklahoma's eight hospital regions 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 northwest region is currently at tier two. The OKC region has seen several days in the past week with 37% to 39% of patients with COVID. The Tulsa region has hovered around 25% the past several days.
The state health department reported 3,170 additional patients as recovered on Thursday, bringing the total to 277,827. 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 34,855 active cases of COVID-19, 572 more than the day before. The record is 36,646, set on Monday.
Tulsa County reported 574 additional patients as recovered, bringing the total to 46,325. The county has 5,159 active cases, 20 more than the day before. The record is 5,785, set Dec. 21.
The state's reported overall positive test rate was 11.2% on Wednesday, up 0.1 percentage points from Tuesday. Out of 20,623 tests reported on Wednesday, 17.1% were positive. Each positive test does not necessarily represent a unique individual.
The state used to report 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 Wednesday, that rate was 11.2%, unchanged from Tuesday.
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.
