The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Wednesday 743 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 119,152.
It was the lowest new case total on a Wednesday since 719 were reported on Sept. 2.
Tulsa County had 93 of Wednesday's cases. Its total now stands at 21,922, second to Oklahoma County's 23,997.
The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, dropped from 1,266 to 1,181. The average surpassed 1,300 for the first time on Saturday and hit a new high of 1,348 on Sunday. Since Sept. 19, the seven-day average has been below 1,000 just two days.
Tulsa County's seven-day average dropped from 170 to 160, falling for the third straight day. Tulsa County's average of new cases has generally trended upward since mid-September, when it had fallen to around 116 after peaking at 254 in late July.
The state health department reported 13 deaths, with two in the past 24 hours. Three Tulsa County men age 65 or older were reported dead. Statewide, two adults between 50 and 64 years old and eight more adults 65 or older were reported dead. Since March 18, COVID-19 has officially killed 1,286 Oklahomans, 204 of them Tulsa County residents.
There were 885 Oklahomans hospitalized for COVID-19 on Tuesday evening, 22 fewer than on Monday. The state surpassed thresholds of 700, 800 and 900 hospitalizations in the month of October. Of those hospitalized Tuesday, 805 had positive coronavirus tests. Overall, 305 Oklahomans hospitalized for COVID-19 were in intensive care units, 19 more than on Monday. The record for ICU admissions is 319, set Oct. 19.
According to the state health department, Tulsa County had 247 residents hospitalized as of Tuesday evening, nine more than on Monday.
Over the course of the pandemic, 8,609 Oklahomans have been hospitalized for COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, the state reported 14% of its adult ICU beds were available.
The state health department reported 1,136 additional patients as recovered on Wednesday, bringing the total to 102,792. 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 15,074 active cases of COVID-19, 406 fewer than the day before. Thursday was the first time more than 15,000 Oklahomans were considered to have active cases.
Tulsa County reported 212 additional patients as recovered, bringing the total to 19,588. The county has 2,130 active cases, 122 fewer than the day before. Tulsa County's active case record is 2,371, set Oct. 17.
The state's reported overall positive test rate rose remained at 8.3% on Tuesday. Out of 11,710 tests reported on Tuesday, 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 Tuesday, that rate was 7.5%, 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.
