OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The number of coronavirus cases in Oklahoma has risen by four, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported Saturday.
The number of positive cases for the virus increased from 49 to 53 while the number of deaths remains at one.
Oklahoma County has the most positive cases with 20 and adjacent Cleveland County is next with 12. Tulsa County, where the death occurred, has five.
Late Saturday, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an order allowing labs at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University to begin performing tests for COVID-19. The order also allows nurses with inactive licenses to get recertified quickly, and lets nurses practice regardless of tax compliant status.
Meanwhile, Integris hospitals is asking for donations of hard to find items, including masks, hand sanitizers, cleaning wipes, disposable gloves known as nitrile gloves and touchless thermometers.
The hospital is collecting donations Saturday and Monday afternoons in a parking lot of its Baptist Medical Center in northwest Oklahoma City.
The vast majority of people who contract the virus recover within weeks. It causes only mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but it can lead to more severe illness, including pneumonia, especially in older adults and people with preexisting health problems.
