State officials say adequate testing and supplies of protective equipment for health care workers are key in Oklahoma's response to COVID-19.
Testing in Oklahoma should greatly increase by the end of the week. An executive order by Gov. Kevin Stitt allows OU and OSU to process tests. Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation Dr. Kayse Shrum said their labs will be able to run 10,000 per week, but that means many more than Oklahoma’s current 67 cases of the illness will be identified.
"We have tested probably just over 700 individuals with test results back. So, that tells us when we have the capability to test 10,000 more Oklahomans, we’re obviously going to see those rates increase," Shrum said.
Shrum is also the president of OSU Center for Health Sciences.
Stitt said the state is working to set up mobile testing sites in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, McAlester and Kay County, but he still does not see a need for any kind of statewide order to shut down bars or keep people at home.
"I’m not saying it couldn’t happen sometime in the future, but right now, that’s not the decision of the state, that’s not the recommendation of the federal government or the CDC to mitigate the spread in the state of Oklahoma," Stitt said.
State officials said they’re also working on a platform with Google to facilitate COVID-19 screening.
State Health and Human Services Secretary Jerome Loughridge said they are closely monitoring supplies of masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment health care workers need statewide.
"As we stand right now, we track this daily in seven to eight major categories. In an aggregate number, we have roughly 9.3 days of PPE on hand," Loughridge said.
Officials are developing a system to sort hospitals into tiers based on factors like their location and potential number of patients. The goal is to keep Tier 1 hospitals with at least seven days of equipment on hand.
