Local & Regional

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Monday 1,903 new cases of COVID-19, brining the state's total to 218,389.

Tulsa County had 327 of Monday's cases. Its total now stands at 36,702, second to Oklahoma County's 44,851.

The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, dropped slightly but remains elevated. It fell from 2,992 to 2,949. The record is 3,387, set the day after Thanksgiving. Oct. 5 was the last time the seven-day average was below 1,000.

This story was updated at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7, to include an additional statement from an OESC spokesperson received after initial publication.

The head of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission announced Friday an abrupt end to the state extended benefits program, a program introduced in July meant to help unemployed Oklahomans who have exhausted other means of relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oklahoma's statewide intensive care unit capacity hit its lowest point in the pandemic last week.

According to a state report released Friday night, hospitals were reporting just 33 available beds statewide, 3% of the state's ICU capacity.

The office of Gov. Kevin Stitt is keeping silent following reports the governor flew out of Will Rogers Airport on Wednesday.

FOX23 reporter Jackie DelPilar tweeted photos Thursday purported to show Stitt not fully wearing a mask while flying to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. 

The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team is postponing two upcoming games due to COVID-19 on the roster, according to a statement released Sunday morning.

"The University of Tulsa announced today that a positive COVID-19 test on the Golden Hurricane men's basketball team and the subsequent quarantining of its student-athletes has forced postponement of the next two basketball games," the statement reads. 

Jenks Public Schools issued an apology on Sunday for allowing attendees at a Saturday championship football game to crowd closely together while not wearing masks, even as local COVID-19 numbers grow grimmer by the day.

"The photo of the Jenks High School student section included in a post on Saturday from the state championship football game has been widely criticized," the district said in a statement, referring to a photo posted to the district's social media.

City officials have gained some insight into how much the COVID-19 pandemic has dragged down Tulsa’s economy.

City of Tulsa Chief of Economic Development Kian Kamas told city councilors last week her team had started to see signs of slowing commercial development activity in late 2019.

"And in 2020 with COVID kind of in full force, we’ve definitely seen a slowdown in commercial activity. You can see in November, we issued three new commercial permits as compared to the 2013 through 2019 average of 11 permits per month. So, down quite substantially," Kamas said.

While state testing for the current year is on for now, its impact on Oklahoma school report cards is up in the air.

Deputy Superintendent of Assessment and Accountability Maria Harris said in a statewide COVID update last week while the Oklahoma State Department of Education wants data from testing, they know it will not be as reliable because of the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite Gov. Kevin Stitt telling schools he wants all students back in their classrooms after winter break, teachers are in the third of four phases in Oklahoma’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.

Many education officials expected they would be a higher priority, considering the push to have all kids back in school as soon as possible. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister told district officials in a coronavirus update last week that nearly 70% of the state’s then-almost 30,000 active cases were among kids 5 to 17 years old.

Gov. Kevin Stitt quietly removed and replaced State Board of Education member Kurt Bollenbach of Kingfisher and replaced him with an anti-mask activist from Enid this week.

Melissa Crabtree has been an outspoken critic of masking in Enid. Bollenbach was one of three board members to vote in favor of a mask mandate in Oklahoma schools.

Stitt – who has repeatedly said he won’t implement a statewide mask mandate – has said when making political appointments to various boards he hopes people will do what he wants.

Oklahoma health officials say confidence in the safety, efficacy and necessity of the coming vaccines against COVID-19 will be a crucial factor in the state's pandemic response plan.

"On the Vice President [Mike Pence] call" with the White House coronavirus task force, Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner Lance Frye said on a Thursday videoconference with reporters, "they stated that initially their first survey said that about 50% of Oklahomans would take it and 50% wouldn't take it."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is closing out his relationship with Congress with one more power jab, threatening to veto a hugely popular defense bill unless lawmakers clamp down on big tech companies he claims were biased against him during the election.

Trump is demanding that Congress repeal so-called Section 230, a part of the communications code that shields Twitter, Facebook and others from content liability. His complaint is a battle cry of conservatives — and some Democrats — who say the social media giants treat them unfairly.

Two Tulsa Public Schools employees -- a bus driver and a support staff member -- have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to an internal district email obtained by Public Radio Tulsa and confirmed by a TPS spokesperson.

Representatives from Oklahoma nursing groups said Thursday that while a meeting they requested with state officials was a good "first step," the Oklahoma State Department of Health and governor's office gave them few firm assurances that their requests pertaining to staffing shortages would be addressed.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The first shipment of a coronavirus vaccine is expected in Oklahoma in about 10 days with health care workers and long term care providers and residents receiving the first doses, state health commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said Thursday.

All in-person proceedings at the Tulsa County District Court will be suspended from Dec. 8 through Jan. 11 because of rising COVID-19 case numbers.

Jury trials will be suspended until Feb. 1. A November administrative order had suspended them until Jan. 11.

Court proceedings involving defendants in custody will continue to be done via videoconferencing.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Thursday 1,707 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 204,048.

Tulsa County had 231 of Thursday's cases. Its total now stands at 34,519, second to Oklahoma County's 41,709.

The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, fell for a fifth straight day, dropping from 2,571 to 2,354. The record is 3,318, set on Thanksgiving Day. Oct. 5 was the last time the seven-day average was below 1,000.

Union Public Schools officials announced on Wednesday all students will move to distance learning on Friday and won't return to their schools in person until Jan. 4.

As of Wednesday, Union had 27 staff members positive for COVID-19 and another 122 in quarantine, the highest numbers to date.