The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Thursday 3,142 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 344,506.
Tulsa County had 560 of Thursday's cases. Its total now stands at 56,281, second to Oklahoma County's 67,165.
The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, dropped after hitting four consecutive new highs, falling from 4,256 to 4,165. 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 dropped slightly, going from 629 to 623. The record is 647, set on Saturday.
The state reported 34 deaths. When deaths occurred is not reported. Four Tulsa County residents were reported dead: two men 50 to 64 years old, and one man and one woman 65 or older. Statewide, two adults 36 to 49 years old, seven adults 50 to 64 years old, and 21 adults 65 or older were also reported dead.
Since March 18, COVID-19 has officially killed 2,882 Oklahomans, 479 of them Tulsa County residents. The state has reported an average of 30 deaths the past seven days.
Hospitalizations are dropping but remain elevated. There were 1,844 Oklahomans with positive COVID tests hospitalized on Wednesday evening, 12 fewer than on Tuesday. There were 474 COVID-positive Oklahomans in intensive care units on Wednesday, three fewer than on Tuesday.
According to the state health department, Tulsa County had 435 COVID-positive residents hospitalized as of Wednesday evening, 12 fewer than on Tuesday.
Over the course of the pandemic, 19,460 Oklahomans have been hospitalized for COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, the state reported 5% of its adult ICU beds and 11% 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 been around 35% the past few days after nearing 40% last week. The Tulsa region has hovered around 26% the past several days.
The state health department reported 4,101 additional patients as recovered on Thursday, bringing the total to 303,476. 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 38,148 active cases of COVID-19, 993 fewer than the day before. The record is 43,163, set on Monday.
Tulsa County reported 682 additional patients as recovered, bringing the total to 49,803. The county has 5,999 active cases, 126 fewer than the day before. The record is 6,731, set on Monday.
The state's reported overall positive test rate was 11.3% on Wednesday, unchanged from Tuesday. Out of 17,359 tests reported on Wednesday, 7.8% were positive. Each positive test does not necessarily represent a unique individual. It's the lowest number of tests reported in four weeks.
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 11.8%, up 0.1 percentage points 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.
