OK Health Department urges testing for rallygoers, protesters

The Oklahoma State Department of Health is urging Oklahomans to be tested for COVID- 1 9 if they have recently attended large-scale gatherings such as protests or the campaign rally for President Donald Trump in Tulsa.

The OSDH reported a record 478 new coronavirus cases in Oklahoma on Sunday, continuing a trend of skyrocketing case numbers that has persisted for more than a week.

“As expected, Oklahoma's urban areas as well as a few communities around the state are experiencing arise inactive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to increased social activity and mobility ," said interim Health Commissioner Lance Frye, M.D. "We continue to have more than 80 free testing locations across the state, and we need Oklahomans to get tested, even those without symptoms, so we can identify active cases and work together to minimize community spread."

OS DH encourages Oklahomans to seek COVID- 1 9 testing both prior to attending l argescale gatherings and in the days following, and to wear a mask when physical distancing is a challenge.

“OSDH has also deployed strike teams across 11 regions in the state to

support communities when a COVID-19 hot spot has been identified,” Frye said. “These strike teams are comprised of public health professionals, testing experts, and epidemiologists who partner with local stakeholders to increase testing capacity and provide additional infrastructure support and guidance to minimize spread.”

The OSDH said the state's emergency protective supplies and testing capacity remain strong. OSDH has also hired more than 700 full and parttime contact trace rs since March 2020 to support these efforts. Additional contact tracers are being hired and trained to expand efforts.

“Personal re sp on si bility remains key in protecting yourself and our local communities from COVID-19," Frye said. "We continue to encourage Oklahomans to consider wearing a mask, to routinely wash hands, and to use physical distancing measures, which are recommendations set forth by the CDC. As a society, we face a delicate balance of creating a new normal that takes into account public health, mental health, and economic risks. It will take all of us working together, as one state, to overcome the many challenges COVID-19 presents until there is a widely available vaccine.”