Last week Blaine County was downgraded from "low" COVID-19 risk to "moderate" risk, based on criteria developed last year by the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Blaine was averaging 27.3 new confirmed cases per day over the previous seven days, according to data released Aug. 3. On Tuesday, the health department reported 1,042 new confirmed cases statewide. The Delta variant of COVID-19, responsible for most of the new cases, is believed to be more contagious than earlier strains.