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Tulsa County Sees Spike in COVID-19 Cases as Testing Ramps up in Nursing Homes

Tulsa Health Department

Tulsa County saw on Thursday its largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases in three weeks.

Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Dr. Bruce Dart said 38 new cases were reported. Tulsa County’s largest increases so far were 45 new cases reported April 29 and April 3.

"Case numbers up until today really were trending downward, which was a very positive sign. We had a large increase today, but that includes 14 residents and eight staff from a long-term care facility," Dart said.

Dart said hospitalizations and deaths are still trending down.

Dart did not name the facility. He said 2,370 nursing home residents and staff in the county have been tested to date.

"The governor mandated that all long-term care facilities in the state, including those in Tulsa County, be tested. So, we’ve been going through that process so we expect to see a little higher case number until we finish testing all long-term cares," Dart said.

Adults over 65 account for 23% of Tulsa County cases, the second-largest share of any age group behind 36- to 49-year-olds. Of Tulsa County’s 40 COVID-19 deaths, 27 have been adults 65 or older.

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.