New Coronavirus Cases Skyrocketing

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  • New Coronavirus Cases Skyrocketing
    New Coronavirus Cases Skyrocketing
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Oklahoma has continued its recent trend of more than 1,000 new cases of Covid-19 per day.

According to the statistics from the Oklahoma State Department of Health released July28, there are 33,775 cases, up 1,089 from the day before. There were 13 new deaths reported, but none had occurred in the past 24 hours. That brings the death toll statewide to 509. There are 596 patients hospitalized with the virus. There have been 26,363 recoveries, also up more than 1,000 since yesterday.

In Blaine County, the case reports are up to 34, with 24 recovered. The case count breaks out to 13 in Watonga, with 10 recovered and three active cases; two cases in Okeene, one recovered, one active; four in Longdale, three recovered, one active; four cases in Hydro, two recovered with three cases falling on the Blaine County case count; one case in Hitchcock, recovered; and 11 cases in Geary, six recovered.

The state has announced it is expanding its tracing efforts with the help of technology. Contact tracing will start now with texting individuals who might have been in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient.

“Contact tracing is an integral component of fighting COVID-19 by breaking the chain of transmission, and we are pleased to find ways to increase efficiency as we continuously develop robust contact tracing efforts across Oklahoma,” said Deputy Commissioner of Community Health Services Keith Reed.

The department notes the message will have ‘message for (your initials)’ in the subject line to protect the names of contacts. The text will include access to an interview form, quarantine related information and a letter of exclusion without speaking to a contact tracer. There are some 300 contact tracers in the state.

Texts or calls from legitimate contact tracers will never ask for payment or bank account information. Such a request is the earmark of a Covid-19 scam and anyone who receives such a call should hang up and report the call to the authorities.

Nationally, there have been 4,290,259 confirmed cases, up 56,336 from the previous report. There have been 1,325,804 recoveries and 148,011 deaths. The death toll was up 1,076 since the previous report while the recoveries leapt by nearly 28,000.

A study by NBC news suggests that this is not a so-called second wave because the first wave did not run its course and subside. Instead, what experts from University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins University are beginning to believe is that while some states were slammed by cases earlier in the year, others are just now beginning to see the peak of cases. That scenario produces a series of smaller spikes instead of one giant wave of cases in national statistics.

That could be considered a preferable situation because it allows medical facilities to care for patients without being overwhelmed.

Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com