(Oklahoma City, OK) The Oklahoma State Health Department on Thursday received 10,000 kits capable of rendering results for COVID-19, according to a key state official. “The State today received key COVID-19 testing supplies that will expand our capacity to test 10,000 Oklahomans in the coming weeks,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Health Jerome Loughridge.
The Health Department reported Thursday that 248 people had tested positive. The number has been rising as testing has expanded in recent days and is expected to rise significantly as the state reaches out beyond the metro areas. Last week, Gov. Kevin Stitt said the supply of materials that could render a result was down to about 100. Only people in the high-risk populations were being tested, including some health care workers, people with severe symptoms and those identified with a connection to a confirmed case.
The death toll and the number of COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Oklahoma, as seven people have now died after contracting the virus, according to Thursday figures released by Oklahoma State Department of Health. The number of cases increased from 164 on Wednesday to 248 on Thursday, March 26, 2020, according to OSDH, with 86 hospitalizations. There have been 958 who have tested negative for coronavirus COVID-19 in the state.
