Three OKC metro counties show 95 new COVID-19 cases

Metro deaths continue to climb

Oklahoma, Canadian, and Cleveland Counties that make up most of the wider Oklahoma City metro, experienced a 17% jump in confirmed COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period.

The increase from Wednesday to Thursday of 95 new cases brought the total number of cases in the three-county metro to 664.

Another grim statistic was reported Thursday by the Oklahoma State Health Department (OSHD).

The total number of deaths rose to 30 for the three-county metro with six of those occurring just since yesterday’s report from the OSHD.

“Worst day”

“Sadly, we’ve just had our worst day of COVID-19 yet,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt wrote on his Facebook page Thursday.

“Today’s sobering news is a reminder why we “shelter in place.” It is an act of self preservation and an act of love for our friends and neighbors.

The City of Oklahoma City is currently under a “shelter in place” order, one similar but more stringent than the statewide order by Governor Kevin Stitt.

This graphic is from the City of Oklahoma City to give residents a quick reference about the shelter-in-place order.

State increases

Statewide numbers were also alarming.

The death count for Oklahoma hit 80 Thursday as it continues to climb each day. The largest number of deaths are in the 65+ category but a significant number of deaths have been logged in other age groups going all the way down to the 18-35 age group.

Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health.
As of 2020-04-09 at 7:00 AM.

The rate of increase in positive cases is alarming as well.

There was an increase of 52 cases from Tuesday to Wednesday. But from Wednesday to Thursday the increase was 160.

Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health.
As of 2020-04-09 at 7:00 AM.

Precautions

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has changed their recommendation about the general population wearing face masks. They now recommend it.

To learn more: CDC changes guidelines – now recommends masks for general public

The City of Oklahoma City recommends:

  • If you’re sick, stay home. Avoid public areas. Stay away from others. Wear a mask or other face covering when you are around other people.
  • If you’re sick, do not go to the ER. Consult first with a health care provider. Regardless of whether tests show you have a common cold, the flu or COVID-19, doctors will tell most people to stay home, rest, get plenty of fluids and avoid contact with others.
  • If your symptoms worsen, you have difficulty breathing or you have a fever for more than 72 hours, call your doctor.
  • If you don’t have health insurance or a doctor, call (405) 425-4489.

If you think you might have the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease, here is the intake form page on the OSHD website to help you determine if you may have the virus and what to do next.

https://intake-app-dot-osdh-mms.appspot.com/intake-form

This is a video from the CDC to show how to properly wash hands during this pandemic:

This is the complete CDC page with tips and resources on how to avoid the disease that continues to spread across the United States.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

Background

COVID-19 is a virus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in 2019 and has since spread globally into a pandemic. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

While roughly 80% of cases report mild symptoms, some progress into severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure and can lead to death. Current data indicates the risk of death for those contracting COVID-19 notably increases for individuals above the age of 60 or for individuals with autoimmune conditions.

On January 11, 2020, the first set of individuals in the United States tested positive for COVID-19. The virus has since spread across all 50 states and the number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 continues to rapidly grow each day.

Author Profile

Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.