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Despite 'Pandemic Center', Oklahoma Still Last In Nation For COVID Sample Sequencing

Oklahoma State Department of Health

Despite touting the ability to genomically sequence COVID-19 samples as a driving force behind investment into the state's Oklahoma Pandemic Center for Innovation and Excellence, which opened in January, Oklahoma continues to rank last in the nation for percentage of positive COVID samples sequenced, according to federal data.

Just 0.24% of positive COVID-19 samples have been sequenced, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dated Aug. 3.

In February, the Oklahoma State Department of Health said the pandemic center, which Gov. Kevin Stitt announced last year would use $25 million in money from the CARES Act COVID relief package, among other funding sources, was "ramping up" its sequencing.

"Sequencing is one of the OPCIE’s core research and development capabilities that will ultimately help inform the nation’s public health responses," the department said in a February press release.

“We are excited to get our sequencing capability fully operational, as COVID-19 variants are spreading rapidly throughout our global communities," Dr. Michael Kayser, then the director of the pandemic center, said in February. “This is exactly the type of critical research and development endeavor this center was established to do to improve our overall health response and outcomes. The United States is severely behind the global curve in its capabilities to sequence for the coronavirus, but with the OPCIE, Oklahoma is able to perform the necessary research that will set the standard for all of us to begin prioritizing the investment in our current and future public health responses.” 

“Sequencing viruses is crucial to our understanding of a disease and ability to mount a response to it,” said then-State Epidemiologist Dr. Jared Taylor in the February release.

Kayser resigned from the role in April, the same month Taylor left his state epidemiologist role for a new position at the department. Taylor's replacement, Jolianne Stone, is Oklahoma's fourth state epidemiologist of the current pandemic.

Dr. Anuj Malik, infectious disease medical director at Tulsa's Ascension St. John Medical Center, said Friday he hoped the state begins sequencing more robustly.

"I would be quite interested in finding a way to easily submit samples for genetic sequencing, and that's not been sort of readily available," Malik said, responding to a question regarding what, if anything, health care leaders need from state government that they aren't currently getting.  

"I don't know what to do about that. I just call my infection prevention people, get another swab, it takes several days and so on. If there was a way for us to do that in the state, I think it would keep tabs on what happening. I think it would be helpful at a population level," Malik said.

In a Thursday press release, Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation said the issue was with providers, not the pandemic center.

"Unfortunately, the lab can only sequence the samples it receives. We need providers’ help in sending us positive samples for sequencing," Pollard said.

The launch of the pandemic center and simultaneous move of the state's public health laboratory from Oklahoma City to Stillwater in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic was controversial, and received criticism from lawmakers of both parties, representatives for state workers and health professionals.

Chris joined Public Radio Tulsa as a news anchor and reporter in April 2020. He’s a graduate of Hunter College and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, both at the City University of New York.
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