ANOTHER RECORD
Number of daily COVID-19 cases is 24% higher than previously
Oklahoma's health commissioner said the recent holiday season likely played a major role in the record number of COVID19 cases reported on Sunday.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 6,487 new COVID-19 cases on
Sunday, a nd 23 additional deaths. The number of daily cases was 24% higher than the previous record, set two
days prior.
Health Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said lags in reporting around the holidays likely produced the unusual spike.
“This rise in reported COVID-19 cases is due in part to a decrease in testing and a less consistent reporting schedule over the holidays,” Frye said. The statement noted that gatherings during the holidays also likely helped boost those infection numbers.
Of the positive cases reported Sunday, the Health Department said 58% of the samples had been collected since Jan. 1, and 80% since Dec. 27.
The seven-day average for daily cases set a new high on Sunday at 3,899. The average for daily deaths reported also peaked at 30.6.
The number of active cases in the state also hit a new high on Sunday at 42,956.
Also on Sunday, OU Health celebrated its 10,000th vaccine inoculation. Dr. Lynn Mitchell, chief medical officer for OU Health Physicians, said the organization began COVID-19 vaccinations on Dec. 16.
“I can't overemphasize the excitement about that,” Mitchell said. “And this isn't the end; it's only the beginning.”
The state has administered more than 100,000 vaccinations.