Updated Oct. 9, 5:15 p.m. with Friday's hospitalization numbers.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Friday 1,524 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a single day since the state saw its first case in early March.
Friday's new case total broke the old record of 1,401 cases set on July 27 and brought the state's total to 97,088.
Tulsa County had 328 of Friday's cases, its second-highest number of new cases to date. The county's total rose to 18,812, second to Oklahoma County's 19,985.
The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, jumped from 1,028 to 1076. On Sunday, it had dropped below 1,000 for the first time in more than two weeks. The average peaked at 1,136 on Sept. 25.
Tulsa County's seven-day average rose from 143 to 169, its highest point since Aug. 11. It had stayed between 115 and 160 since mid-August.
The state health department reported six deaths: a Payne County man 36 to 49 years old, two adults 50 to 64 years old, and three adults 65 or older, one of them a Tulsa County man. Since March 18, COVID-19 has officially killed 1,091 Oklahomans, 176 of them in Tulsa County.
There were 758 Oklahomans hospitalized for COVID-19 on Friday evening, nine more than on Thursday and a new record for the third time this week. Of those hospitalized Friday, 674 had positive coronavirus tests. Overall, 276 Oklahomans hospitalized for COVID-19 were in intensive care units, 11 more than on Thursday.
The Tulsa Health Department reported 282 residents hospitalized as of Tuesday. According to the latest figures, Tulsa County has set a new high in hospitalizations for nine consecutive days, and the number of patients is up 45 since Sept. 27. Local hospitalization numbers change frequently based on new data. Tulsa County hospitalizations have trended up overall since the first week of June.
Over the course of the pandemic, 7,124 Oklahomans have been hospitalized for COVID-19.
As of Friday, the state reported 13% of its adult ICU beds were available.
The state health department reported an additional 1,193 patients as recovered on Friday, bringing the total to 82,482. 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 13,515 active cases of COVID-19, 325 more than the day before and a new record. The state's previous high in active cases was 13,379 on Sept. 28.
Tulsa County reported 139 additional patients as recovered, bringing the total to 16,620. The county has 2,016 active cases, 182 more than the day before. Tulsa County's record for active cases is 2,074 on Sept. 9.
The state's reported overall positive test rate remained at 8.1% on Thursday. Out of 17,571 tests reported on Thursday, 7.5% 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 Thursday, that rate was 7.2%, unchanged from Wednesday.
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.
According to the state's new weekly COVID alert map, Noble County is classified as green, or lowest risk of transmission. Coal, Ellis, Marshall, Nowata, Pawnee and Woods counties are classified as yellow. The remaining 70 counties are classified as orange, or highest risk of transmission. Currently, counties are not put at red, the highest alert level, until triggers for local hospital capacity or statewide suppy availability are met.
