April 6, 2020
By News Director Jared Atha
Greer County has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases and has turned into one of the state’s hot spots for the virus.
According to the latest numbers from the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Greer County currently has 26 confirmed cases with 3 deaths. The two additional deaths are reportedly a male and a female older than 65.
Elsewhere Custer County is still reporting 5 cases, Beckham County with 1 case, Kiowa County with 1, and Jackson County with 4.
There was a report on Friday that a case was confirmed in Washita County, but according to state health officials, the address of the confirmed case was incorrect.
In Northwest Oklahoma, Woodward County is still reporting 1 case while in the Oklahoma Panhandle, Texas County is now reporting 3 cases.
Overall, the state has 1,327 reported cases of COVID-19 with 340 total cumulative hospitalizations and 51 deaths.
The Oklahoma Legislature on Monday granted sweeping new powers to the governor to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The House and Senate met in special session and approved the resolution under the never-before-used Catastrophic Health Emergency Act, which gives Gov. Kevin Stitt the authority to temporary suspend laws and regulations that interfere with the state’s ability to respond to the pandemic.
It also gives the governor the authority to redirect state employees and other resources, including up to $50 million state funds, from one agency to another, among other things. The powers also authorize the state’s public health authority, in this case the State Department of Health, to take control of any human remains.
President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in Oklahoma on Sunday, making more federal funding available for recovery efforts.
