OSDH: New COVID-19 cases in Enid, Fairview as state count increases by 94 Friday; six more deaths reported

ENID, Okla. — An additional 94 Oklahomans have tested positive for COVID-19, including one each in Garfield and Major counties, and six more deaths were reported by the Oklahoma State Department of Health Friday, May 8, 2020.

There are now 22 cases reported in Garfield County, with 20 of those in Enid, and five cases in Major County, according to OSDH. 

Eleven of the cases in Garfield County and two in Major County have recovered, and there has been one death recorded in each county: an 86-year-old Garfield County woman and a Major County woman in the 18-35 age group. Elsewhere in Northwest Oklahoma, Kingfisher County has recorded eight cases, with all recovered; Woods County has recorded three cases, with two recovered; Blaine County has recorded two cases; Grant County has recorded two cases, with both recovered; and Alfalfa and Woodward counties have recorded one case each, with both recovered.

Cumulative COVID-19 cases by city or town in Oklahoma also include four in Kingfisher; three each in Alva and Fairview; two each in Okarche and Seiling; and one each in Dover, Garber, Hennessey, Jet, Lahoma, Lamont, Laverne, Medford, Okeene, Ringwood and Woodward. Residents living in areas with under 100 in population or those with unknown addresses may be recorded as "other," according to OSDH. 

State numbers

There have been 4,424 cumulative cases of COVID-19 in the state, an increase of 2.17% compared to Thursday's 4,330 cases, and 266 deaths since the first official case was identified by OSDH on March 6, according to OSDH.

Two of the newly reported deaths occurred Thursday, May 7, while four others died between Saturday, May 2, and Wednesday, May 6. Four were older than 65 — three men in Cotton, LeFlore and Washington counties and a woman in Oklahoma County — and two were in the 50-64 age group — a Caddo County man and a Rogers County woman. 

The Health Department reported Friday that 3,064 Oklahomans, just more than 69%, have recovered from the virus, with 79 of those in the prior 24 hours, which is marked from midnight the day before to midnight the day of the report. There have been more than 89,800 tests given, with 84,869 of those negative, according to OSDH.

OSDH reported Friday that there have been 815 cumulative hospitalizations of those testing positive for COVID-19, with 228 with cases or suspected cases of the virus in facilities across the state, with 96 of those in intensive care, as of Thursday afternoon.

Of the 266 Oklahomans testing positive for COVID-19 who have died, 212, or 79.70%, have been 65 and older; 43, or 16.17%, have been in the 50-64 age group; 6, or 2.26%, have been in the 36-49 age group; and 5, or 1.87%, have been in the 18-35 age group. More men, 137 or 51.5%, than women, 129 or 48.5%, have succumbed to the virus, according to OSDH. More than 71% have been diagnosed with an underlying condition such as diabetes, heart or circulatory diseases, chronic lung disease, liver disease or renal failure. The average age of those who have died is 74.6, OSDH reports.

Deaths recorded per county in the state are 41 in Oklahoma County; 36 in Tulsa County; 33 in Cleveland County; 27 in Washington County; 17 in Wagoner County; 15 in Delaware County; 9 in Caddo County; 8 in Osage County; 7 each in Creek and Kay counties; 6 in Greer County; 5 each in Muskogee and Rogers counties; 4 each in Mayes and Pottawatomie counties; 3 each in Adair, Canadian, Sequoyah and Texas counties; 2 each in Comanche, Cotton, Grady, Lincoln, McClain, Pawnee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, and Seminole counties; and 1 each in Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Garfield, Garvin, Latimer, Leflore, Logan, Major, Ottawa, Payne and Stephens counties, according to OSDH data released Friday morning.

Those testing positive are 51 in the 0-4 age range, 154 in the 5-17 age range, 937 in the 18-35 age range, 977 in the 36-49 age range, 1,035 in the 50-64 age range and 1,268 in the 65 and older age range, according to OSDH on Friday. Two ages were listed as "unknown." The average age of those with COVID-19 is 51.4, according to OSDH. Of those testing positive, 2,482 or 56.19%, have been female, 1,919, or 43.56%, have been male and 23 have been reported as unknown gender.

Positive tests recorded per county in the state are 905 in Oklahoma County; 684 in Tulsa County; 453 in Cleveland County; 343 in Texas County; 291 in Washington County; 126 in Wagoner County; 116 in Comanche County; 107 in Canadian County; 97 in Caddo County; 92 in Delaware County; 85 each in McClain and Osage counties; 82 in Creek County; 72 in Adair County; 70 in Rogers County; 65 in Greer County; 54 in Pottawatomie County; 48 in Kay County; 45 in Payne County; 42 in Grady County; 39 in Pittsburg County; 34 in Ottawa County; 30 in Cherokee County; 29 in Pawnee County; 28 in Muskogee County; 24 in Mayes County; 22 each in Garfield, Nowata and Stephens counties; 20 in Seminole County; 19 each in Beaver, Jackson and Tillman counties; 18 in Logan County; 17 in Lincoln County; 16 in Okmulgee County; 14 in Garvin County; 13 each in Craig, LeFlore and Sequoyah counties; 12 in Bryan County; 11 in Custer County; 10 in Pontotoc County; eight each in Kingfisher and McCurtain counties; 7 in Noble County; 6 each in Beckham, Carter and Kiowa counties; 5 each in Cotton, Latimer, Major and McIntosh counties; 3 each in Choctaw, Jefferson, Johnston, Love and Woods counties; 2 each in Blaine, Dewey, Grant, Marshall and Murray counties; and one each in Alfalfa, Atoka, Cimarron, Harper, Okfuskee, Pushmataha and Woodward counties, according to OSDH data released Friday morning.

Longterm care facilities

Approximately 350 tests taken at Garfield County longterm care and nursing centers last week have come back negative, according to Maggie Jackson, OSDH regional director of community engagement and health planning for District 2, on Thursday, May 7.

The virus has impacted Oklahoma’s long-term care and nursing home facilities particularly hard, with 742, or 17.1%, of the state’s positive COVID-19 cases involving a resident or staff member, according to the OSDH executive report Thursday afternoon, which also states there have been 117 deaths at longterm care centers and nursing homes.

A resident and two staff members, including a caregiver from Major County who died, tested positive for COVID-19 at Seiling Nursing Center, and a resident at First Shamrock Care Center in Kingfisher contracted the virus, according to OSDH. 

Two of the 21 Enid COVID-19 cases involve an employee and a resident with The Commons, a retirement and assisted living facility in Enid, who were confirmed positive for the virus April 30 while undergoing health care for unrelated issues, according to the facility. At the same time, the state announced the priority on testing care facilities in the state, and staff and residents at The Commons became a priority, Jackson said. 

Many more tests were conducted this week, she said, before regional officials were asked Thursday, May 7, to pause the new saliva testing developed by the state specifically for longterm care and nursing facilities and turn, once again, to swab testing.

"In only a few days, OSDH has conducted thousands of saliva-administered tests, and the State is taking a brief pause on administering saliva tests to allow the labs to catch up on processing results," Shelley Zumwalt, an OSDH representative, said in an emailed statement Thursday evening. "Testing administered with a nasal swab remains readily available across all testing centers. The plan to test all residents and staff at LTCFs has been on schedule, and we do not anticipate this small break will impact the testing schedule."

Jackson said the swab tests set aside for Garfield County Health Department use through appointments were redirected Thursday to the longterm care and nursing home initiative, which created a shortage at the local facility.

"This was one of the first days we had to turn people away," Jackson said.

More swab testing kits should be available by Friday, May 8, in Garfield County, and a larger shipment for distribution district-wide is expected in the next week, she said late Thursday afternoon, but she is not sure yet how they will be distributed. District 2 covers Blaine, Canadian, Grant, Garfield, Kingfisher, Logan and Major counties. Jackson also represents the Alfalfa County office. She also said St. Mary's Regional Medical Center provided some testing kits on Thursday, May 7.

Jackson said residents' best course of action is to call the Health Department, (580) 233-0650, and leave contact information for appointments, and they will be contacted when testing is available.

The local Health Department has tested many at the longterm care and nursing facilities through the swabbing method anyway, Jackson said, as they cannot produce enough salvia for the other, more readily accessible, testing method.

Jackson said there are no testing restrictions at Garfield and other Health Department facilities in District 2, but priority is being giving to those who work or live at longterm care and nursing facilities and those coming in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Northwest Oklahoma testing

Drive-through testing is being conducted by appointment only for Blaine County, 521 W. 4th, Watonga, (580) 623-7977; Garfield County, 2501 S. Mercer, Enid, (580) 233-0650; Grant County, 115 N. Main, Medford, (580) 395-2906; Kingfisher County, 124 E. Sheridan, courthouse annex room #101, Kingfisher, (405) 375-3008; Major County, 501 E. Broadway, Fairview, (580) 227-3362; Noble County, 300 Fir St., Perry, (580) 336-2257; Woods County, 511 Barnes St., Alva, (580) 327-3192; and Woodward County, 1631 Texas Ave., Woodward, (580) 256-6416. For a full list of county drive-through testing, go to https://coronavirus.health.ok.gov/drive-thru-testing. Some health department also advise the public to check their Facebook pages for more information regarding testing.

CDC information

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added six new COVID-19 symptoms to its list that people should be aware: chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. These symptoms may appear 2–14 days after exposure to the virus. The main symptoms of COVID-19 remain coughing and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Emergency warning signs for COVID-19 are trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, bluish lips or face, according to the CDC. More information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html.

Those with symptoms of COVID-19 should call ahead to local emergency rooms. Those with minor symptoms should contact their regular physicians.

Resources and information on COVID-19 can be obtained by calling 211 or going to https://covidresources.ok.gov/. 

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