State Passes 126,000 Cases

As of November 3, there were 126,526 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus in the state, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. 15,917 of those are active. There were 21 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. This current death toll stands at 1,375.

In Blaine County, according to emergency management officials, there are 36 active cases. There 7 cases in Geary; 7 cases in Canton; 2 case in Longdale; 1 case in Okeene, 0 in Hitchcock and 17 in Watonga. The cases are noted by zip code, so those ill may not live inside the city limits, just in the vicinity.

There are 9,291,064 cases cumulative reported nationally, up 84,089 since the last numbers were released by Johns Hopkins University. There have been 231,490 deaths, up 495 since last report. Active cases in the U.S. tally at 5,384,593 up 39,192 while recoveries stand at 3,674,981 up 44,402 since the last report was made.

Does the flu vaccine affect my chances of getting COVID-19?

The flu vaccine protects you from seasonal influenza, not the coronavirus — but avoiding the flu is especially important this year.

Health officials and medical groups are urging people to get either the flu shot or nasal spray, so that doctors and hospitals don't face the extra strain of having to treat influenza in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Not to mention the confusion factor: The illnesses have such similar early symptoms that people who get the flu may mistakenly think they have COVID-19, said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic.

Only a test can tell the two apart.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the flu vaccine for everyone starting at 6 months of age and suggests getting it by the end of October.

The CDC says the vaccine will not cause you to fall ill with the flu, and that the protection it provides takes about two weeks to kick in. And the flu vaccine is not perfect, but studies show if the vaccinated get sick, they don't get as severely ill.

A few flawed studies over the years have attempted to link the flu vaccine to increased risk of other respiratory infections, but experts say there is no evidence that is true.