April 30, 2020
By News Director Jared Atha
For the first time in six days, Greer County has gained an additional case of COVID-19.
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, that brings Greer County’s cumulative case total to 65 with 12 active cases. Kiowa County in south west Oklahoma also saw an additional case bringing the total to 5. Jackson County remained with 15 cases, however 10 of which are being reported as recovered. Custer County’s 10 confirmed cases are all being reported as recovered as well. Beckham County went unchanged with 5 cumulative cases, but only 3 are active cases.
Harmon, Washita, and Roger Mills are without a case.
Currently there are 291 hospitalizations in the state due to the virus.
Statewide there has been an increase of 145 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 3,618.
State health officials are reporting 8 additional deaths due to COVID-19, 5 of which occurred in the past 24 hours. The state’s death count now stands at 222.
During a press conference, Governor Kevin Stitt says efforts to expand testing is ongoing.
Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Gary Cox says the state’s goal by the end of May is to have tested 90,000 Oklahomans for the virus.
Health officials announced this week plans to start testing all 42,000 long-term care residents and staff across the state. Deputy Secretary of Science and Innovation Elizabeth Pollard said saliva-based testing, developed at Rutgers University, will start being processed as early as Thursday at the diagnostics laboratory at Oklahoma State University.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma is planning to allow restaurant dining rooms, gyms, movie theaters and places of worship to open starting on Friday if they follow CDC-recommended social distancing and sanitation protocols.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
