Oklahoma

Time to Hunker Down

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

Be safe this year in whatever form of holiday celebrating you choose to do.

The holidays are upon us, which means a spike in gatherings of people who do not otherwise see one another. Such get-togethers, especially if they are multi-generational, can spark more outbreaks. I take no joy in saying this, but all of this means that any gathering outside one’s existing quarantine pod should be avoided for now—especially if it is indoors. Think of it as a postponement and plan to hold it later. Better a late Christmas than an early medical catastrophe. Pods should not expand unless absolutely necessary. Order takeout instead of dining indoors. Make game night virtual. Shop in bulk, so you can do fewer trips to the store. It’s not the right time for wedding receptions or birthday parties.

Young people present one of the biggest challenges. Many colleges are ending school and sending students home, for what could be a country-wide super-spreader event. That age group—young adults—is especially dangerous; while they can get infected, they are less likely to get very sick, so they don’t stay put the way sick people would. That means they pose a great risk to their more vulnerable parents and other older relatives as they go about their lives. Ideally, colleges should offer the students already on campus the option to stay in the dorms over winter break, and those who live in off-campus housing should consider staying put. If they do go home, the students should quarantine for the recommended two weeks to the greatest degree possible.

It’s Time to Hunker Down — https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/lock-yourself-down-now/617106/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AtlanticFood+%28The+Atlantic+-+Health%29

Meanwhile in Tulsa County Oklahoma…

Zip codes in severe Covid-19 risk category — https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/we-re-not-in-a-good-place-22-tulsa-county-zip-codes-in-severe-covid/article_748baca2-25df-11eb-a21f-17083eb6af35.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

and Garfield County Colorado…

Meanwhile back at the ranch…

What will Thanksgiving look like this year? We asked a turkey farmer. Read https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21561288/thanksgiving-dinner-2020-turkey-farmer-pandemic-smaller-birds for some insight into…turkeys.

Meanwhile in Oklahoma – About That Mask Debate 11.13.20

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Oklahoma Weekly Epidemiology and Surveillance Report 11/6-11/12 2020

In Oklahoma we don’t have a statewide mask mandate. Mask mandate decisions are at the city level. The last time I looked at these numbers I focused on the percent change from 8/1 to the present study date. Today my eyes focused on the Nov. 1 seven day average case numbers mask vs no mask. My small brain is trying to understand what I’m seeing. Under the assumption mask wearing is effective in helping stop the virus from spreading why is the gap narrowing?

Numbers notwithstanding, I’m still going to wear a mask.

Meanwhile in Oklahoma – 11.08.20 (exponential growth UPDATE)

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State Health Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said the following in a statement released Sunday: “Today’s individual case number, 4,507, is a corrected version of yesterday’s number with all duplicate cases removed. Today we will not be releasing a new daily case number, allowing our data reporting system to catch up and ensure duplications are removed from the daily number prior to release moving forward. Starting tomorrow, the daily number released will not include any duplicates. We are committed to giving the public and media accurate and transparent data, and this will ensure the daily number reflects the actual case count. We will continue to point to the 7-day average, percent positivity and hospitalizations in addition to the daily number to give a more complete picture of trends. We have no reason to believe our revised number is an anomaly, but instead shows community spread is occurring. We continue to urge all Oklahomans to take this highly-contagious virus seriously and act immediately to avoid large gatherings, wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance to others. Together we can bring these numbers down and protect our friends, family and neighbors.”

Source: https://kfor.com/news/health/coronavirus/osdh-releases-statement-regarding-corrected-covid-19-case-count-now-4507/

4507 NOT 4741!

My original post follows below. I’m glad we got this number fixed. Am I supposed to feel better now?

The headline came across my Twitter feed and my eyes just froze. Oklahoma reported 4,741 new coronavirus cases which obliterated the previous single-day record. I am still in a state of shock and tried to confirm the number at https://coronavirus.health.ok.gov/. Unfortunately the state’s webpage has numbers are only updated to 11.06.20.

Source: Twitter

If today’s reported numbers turn out to be accurate it’s going to be a long, cold, nasty winter.

Update

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 4,741 new infections on Saturday, shattering the previous daily record of 2,101 that was set on Thursday, and moving Oklahoma’s 7-day average to near 2,000 new cases. There have been 136,492 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Oklahoma since the pandemic began.

Oklahoma officials place responsibility on state residents after huge surge in COVID cases — https://oklahoman.com/article/5675726/oklahoma-officials-place-responsibility-on-state-residents-after-huge-surge-in-covid-cases

The record number of new infections today is confirmed.

Tomorrow I go shopping to stock up the pantry.

Meanwhile in Oklahoma – 11.07.20 (exponential growth)

/ SupremeCmdr / 1 Comment

The headline came across my Twitter feed and my eyes just froze. Oklahoma reported 4,741 new coronavirus cases which obliterated the previous single-day record. I am still in a state of shock and tried to confirm the number at https://coronavirus.health.ok.gov/. Unfortunately the state’s webpage has numbers are only updated to 11.06.20.

Source: Twitter

If today’s reported numbers turn out to be accurate it’s going to be a long, cold, nasty winter.

Update

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 4,741 new infections on Saturday, shattering the previous daily record of 2,101 that was set on Thursday, and moving Oklahoma’s 7-day average to near 2,000 new cases. There have been 136,492 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Oklahoma since the pandemic began.

Oklahoma officials place responsibility on state residents after huge surge in COVID cases — https://oklahoman.com/article/5675726/oklahoma-officials-place-responsibility-on-state-residents-after-huge-surge-in-covid-cases

The record number of new infections today is confirmed.

Tomorrow I go shopping to stock up the pantry.

The State of Obesity 2020

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Obesity rates vary considerably between states and regions of the country. Mississippi has the highest adult obesity rate in the country at 40.8 percent and Colorado has the lowest at 23.8 percent. Twelve states have adult rates above 35 percent, they are: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. As recently as 2012, no state had an adult obesity rate above 35 percent; in 2000 no state had an adult obesity rate above 25 percent.

The State of Obesity 2020: Better Policies for a Healthier America — https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2020/

Meanwhile in Oklahoma we are ranked #4 in the nation with an obesity rate of 36.8% — (SOURCE: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, CDC).

I seem to recall being ranked #5 in the nation in another report on Covid-19 — Meanwhile in Oklahoma – 09.17.20.

Interesting comparison don’t ya think?

People of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19:

Cancer

Chronic kidney disease

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant

Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or higher)

Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies

Sickle cell disease

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

CDC website accessed 08.25.20 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html

Meanwhile in Oklahoma – 09.17.20

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Oklahoma ranks No. 5 in the U.S. for new COVID-19 cases and test positivity, according to the latest White House Coronavirus Task Force weekly report released Wednesday afternoon. The state’s rate of new weekly cases was 142 per 100,000 people, nearly doubling the U.S. average of 74 per 100,000 people. Its test positivity rate was at 10%, which is more than double the national average of 4.8%.

Oklahoma ranks No. 5 in new COVID-19 cases and test positivity in latest White House report — https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/oklahoma-ranks-no-5-in-new-covid-19-cases-and-test-positivity-in-latest-white/article_ad2cdb24-f82d-11ea-bf1c-eb13a26cabba.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

Meanwhile in…Oklahoma jumps to 4th in U.S. for COVID-19 positivity, 9th in new cases

/ SupremeCmdr / 1 Comment

Oklahoma has an 11.3% positivity rate — the percentage of COVID-19 tests that are positive — more than double the country’s positivity rate of 5.2%. The state’s rate is its highest yet, surpassing the 10.1% in the July 26 report to become the second time Oklahoma has landed in the positivity red zone.

Oklahoma’s new case rate is 146 per 100,000 people, nearly two-thirds more than the national average of 88 per 100,000. The state has been in the red zone for new cases for nine consecutive weeks.

A week ago the report warned that virus transmission was increasing in the “major university towns.”

Oklahoma jumps to 4th in U.S. for COVID-19 positivity, 9th in new cases — https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/oklahoma-jumps-to-4th-in-u-s-for-covid-19-positivity-9th-in-new-cases/article_e111c7ae-f2ad-11ea-9ed9-2fe10f044c6b.html#tracking-source=home-trending

Less Worried About Tulsa (for now)

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

 

 

Screenshot_2020-06-27 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Tulsa Health Department(1)

Screenshot_2020-06-27 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Tulsa Health Department(2)

Screenshot_2020-06-27 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Tulsa Health Department(3)

 

Go to my Project List page if you want to understand why I track Tulsa infections.

Look at the percentage of Asians with Covid-19.  Asians in Tulsa Oklahoma?

From a Gofundme.com webpage:

Dim Mang is organizing this fundraiser.

Created June 12, 2020 — Community & Neighbors

The Burmese American community in Tulsa is one of the largest in the United States, totaling about 8,000 members. We are a community of immigrants and refugees; the majority of the community are Chin, also known as Zomi, a (Christian) religious and ethnic minority group from Chin State in Myanmar.

The community is at the front lines of COVID-19, with outbreaks occurring across multiple factories in Tulsa due to the state’s passive response and these companies’ unsafe working standards. In order to aid the Zomi community in Tulsa, we (a group of college students and recently graduated college students) are raising money to put together packages of gloves, masks, and translated CDC guidelines in Zomi language, which is the language the majority of the community speaks.

Whirlpool plant in Tulsa temporarily shuttered after COVID-19 outbreak

A Whirlpool Corporation plant in Tulsa was closed after health officials confirmed cases of COVID-19, a deadly and highly infectious disease, associated with the facility.

This virus is doing more than merely infecting people, causing extreme illness and death.  This virus is a teacher.

We are learning who and what in our society is truly essential.

We are learning more about supply chains and their inherent weak links.

We are learning there are those among us who care about others and those of us who are boundlessly selfish.

We are learning the oft touted service economy is not only a myth but that a majority of the services provided in a service economy are not essential.

 

We are learning the “higher” in higher education is the cost and debt, not necessarily the quality of the product.

We are learning we all need to eat but not eat out.

We are learning.