Study: COVID-19 cases rising across Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY ( KFOR ) — Nearly 400 people are dying every week from COVID-19 and right here in Oklahoma, COVID cases are spiking again.

As of Thursday, nearly a quarter of Oklahomans who go to the doctor not feeling well test positive for COVID.

With people returning from vacations and heading back to school, Dr. Dale Bratzler, Dean of the Hudson College of Public Health, says he expects the cases to continue to increase.

“In April of last of this year, we were around 2.9% positivity rate, this week we’re about 22.2% positivity rate,” Dr. Bratzler said.

Oklahoma cases are on the rise once again, factoring into Region 6 leading the nation in positive cases.

“There’s a family of viruses there called the “Flirt Variant” and they have common mutations that make them more contagious,” Dr. Bratzler said. “So, they spread easier and they attach to the human receptors better so that if you’re exposed, you’re more likely to get infected.”

He adds that Oklahoma has seen a spike in COVID cases around the same time compared to previous years.

“We always see an uptick in respiratory viral infections when you open schools,” said Dr. Bratzler.

Oklahoma ranks among the top states for positivity rate in wastewater levels, which has become a key component to testing for COVID since fewer people go in for testing.

“This particular virus, if you’re infected, you will pass it in your stool,” Dr. Bratzler said. “So, if you test wastewater specimens, you can detect the virus.”

As Oklahomans head back to school, Dr. Bratzler expects cases to climb.

“I would expect that as students come together, we’ll see more cases,” said Dr. Bratzler. “I do want to point out that parents should remember that if your child has upper respiratory symptoms, please don’t send them to school. Let them stay home until they’re feeling better, and test if needed.”

Dr. Bratzel adds that the majority of the population has either built up antibodies against the virus or have received the vaccine.

So, it will most likely only affect them like a common cold, but those who are 65 and older and immunocompromised are still at a high risk of hospitalization.

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