TULSA, Okla. — Hospitals are understaffed and nurses and doctors are exhausted.
Meanwhile, the White House Coronavirus Task Force reportshows cases are on the rise across Green County. This comes as Saint Francis Health System saw a record high number of COVID-19 patients last week.
Local leaders said it underscores the urgency to follow COVID-safety rules. Many health experts fear the worst of the pandemic has yet to happen.
“We are headed in the wrong direction,” said Jake Henry, chief operating officer for Saint Francis Health System.
Henry said the current COVID-19 hospitalization rate is not sustainable. The latest White House Coronavirus Task Force Report reinforces the message to take the virus seriously.
“If we want to prevent the spread of this virus, it’s time to get serious about prevention efforts,” said Bruce Dart, executive director for the Tulsa Health Department.
According to the report, Oklahoma is the 8th highest in the nation for test-positivity. There were at least 101 more cases per 100,000 within the last week. That puts Oklahoma’s positivity rate at or above 10.1%.
Oklahoma, Cleveland and Tulsa counties had the highest number of new cases over the past three weeks. They also account for nearly 40% of the total number of cases throughout the state. In addition, 84% of all counties in the state have moderate or high levels of community transmission; more than half of counties are in the red zone.
The notion that people think transmission only happens within metro areas is a myth. In fact, Mayor G.T. Bynum announced the majority of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 live outside of Tulsa city limits.
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