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Oklahoma Passes 55,000 COVID Cases, 15 More Reported Dead

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Thursday 712 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 55,550.

Tulsa County had 117 of Thursday's new cases, and its total now stands at 12,831, second to Oklahoma County's 12,974.

The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, fell from 702 to 697. The seven-day average has been relatively flat since Aug. 21.

The seven-day average hit a peak of 1,093 on Aug. 1. When Oklahoma moved to phase three of Gov. Kevin Stitt's reopening plan on June 1, the average was 69 cases.

Tulsa County's seven-day average of new cases rose from 136 to 137 but has been relatively stable the past two weeks. It peaked at 254 on July 30.

The state health department reported on Thursday 15 new deaths, with none identified in the past 24 hours. Since March 18, COVID-19 has officially killed 778 Oklahomans.

One woman between 36 and 49 years old and one man between 50 and 64 years old were among Thursday's reported deaths. The other 13 people dead were adults 65 or older.

One death was in Tulsa County, which has seen 128 residents die from the illness. Two were in Oklahoma County, which leads the state with 150 deaths.

As of Wednesday evening, 552 Oklahomans were hospitalized for COVID-19, 19 more than on Tuesday. Of those hospitalized Wednesday, 476 had positive coronavirus tests. Overall, 211 Oklahomans hospitalized for COVID-19 were in intensive care units, unchanged from Tuesday.

The last time fewer than 500 Oklahomans were hospitalized for COVID-19 was July 10.

Tulsa County reported 226 residents hospitalized as of Tuesday, down from a new high of 228 on Sunday and Monday. Local hospitalization numbers change frequently based on new data. Tulsa County hospitalizations have been trending up overall since the first week of June.

Over the course of the pandemic, 4,673 Oklahomans have been hospitalized for COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, the state reported 18% of its adult ICU beds were available.

The state health department reported an additional 772 patients as recovered on Thursday, bringing the total to 47,186. 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 7,586 active cases of COVID-19, 75 fewer than the day before. The state broke 8,000 active cases for the first time on Sunday.

Tulsa County reported an additional 151 patients as recovered on Thursday, bringing the total to 11,224. The county has 1,479 active cases, 35 fewer than the day before.

The state's overall positive test rate on Wednesday rose 0.1 percentage points to 7.5%. Out of 8,764 tests reported on Wednesday, 11.4% were positive. Each positive test does not necessarily represent a unique individual.

The World Health Organization's benchmark indicating adequate testing is a 5% positive test rate.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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