OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Health officials in Oklahoma say the number of novel coronavirus cases continues to grow.
On Friday morning, data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health shows that the state currently has 322 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The patients are in the following counties:
- Adair – 3
- Bryan -1
- Caddo -1
- Canadian – 11
- Carter- 1
- Cherokee – 1
- Choctaw -1
- Cleveland – 39
- Comanche – 6
- Craig- 1
- Creek – 14
- Custer – 3
- Delaware- 2
- Garvin – 2
- Grady- 2
- Jackson -1
- Kay – 17
- Latimer -1
- Lincoln – 3
- Logan-3
- Mayes- 2
- McClain -2
- Muskogee -5
- Noble -3
- Oklahoma – 94
- Okmulgee- 2
- Osage – 5
- Ottawa- 1
- Pawnee – 14
- Payne -7
- Pittsburg – 2
- Pontotoc – 2
- Pottawatomie – 2
- Sequoyah – 1
- Stephens – 1
- Tulsa – 46
- Wagoner – 8
- Washington – 9.
So far, officials say eight Oklahoma patients have died and 105 others have been hospitalized because of the virus.
Officials say the latest death occurred in Creek County. The patient was a man in his 70s.
So far, deaths have occurred in Cleveland, Creek, Oklahoma, Pawnee and Tulsa counties.
According to health department data, there are eight people who are younger than 17-years-old infected with the virus in Oklahoma.
In all, 196 of the confirmed cases are 50-years-old or older. The median age for a patient is 58-years-old.
However, health officials say there is a high incidence of cases in the 18 to 49-year-old age group. People of all age groups are asked to stay home and practice social distancing.
State officials urge Oklahomans to stay away from ill patients and to frequently wash their hands. Also, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
At this point, Americans are urged to practice ‘social distancing’ by staying in their homes as much as possible and not going out into a crowd.
The virus is mainly spread from person-to-person, and symptoms usually appear two to 14 days after exposure. Officials stress that the most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
If you do become sick, you are asked to stay away from others. If you have been in an area where the coronavirus is known to be spreading or been around a COVID-19 patient and develop symptoms, you are asked to call your doctor ahead of time and warn them that you might have been exposed to the virus. That way, experts say, they have the ability to take extra precautions to protect staff and other patients.
The novel coronavirus was first detected in China late last year and has since spread to locations across the globe, including the United States.
While the full extent of COVID-19 is not known yet, reported illnesses have ranged from extremely mild to severe, some resulting in death. Officials say that 80 to 85 percent of cases of COVID-19 have been mild, similar to a cold or the flu.
Older people and those with underlying health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes are at a greater risk for a serious case.
