1,702 New COVID-19 Cases, 7 More Virus-Related Deaths Reported, State Health Officials Say

Seven more virus-related deaths and 1,702 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state since Monday, according to daily numbers released by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

A total of 140,157 Oklahomans have tested positive for COVID-19 and the total number of deaths went up to 1,451, the state health department said on Tuesday.

Gov. Kevin Stitt held a news conference with state health officials at Tuesday afternoon and asked Oklahomans to continue to be diligent in their COVID-19 precautions.

None of the seven deaths happened in the last 24 hours.

Two men aged 65 or older died in Tulsa County.

One woman aged 65 or older died in Cleveland County. One woman aged 65 or older died in Creek County. One man aged 50 to 64 died in Logan County.

One man aged 65 or older died in Pottawatomie County. One woman aged 65 or older died in Woods County.

The health department said 20,632 cases are considered active in the state.

A total of 9,682 Oklahomans have been hospitalized due to the virus with 1,102 Oklahomans currently in the hospital.

So far, 118,074 Oklahomans have recovered from the virus with 1,192 more cases considered recovered since Monday. Health officials said recovered means the patient is not hospitalized or deceased and it has been 14 days since the onset of symptoms or report.

As of Tuesday morning, 1,593,041 tests have returned negative since testing began in February.

Click here to view the state's COVID-19 data.

The state health department corrected Saturday's daily total on Sunday and opted to not release a new daily COVID-19 totals from Saturday to Sunday.

Health officials said it removed the duplicate cases from the total but it only dropped the total cases down from 4,741 to 4,507, a 234 drop. As of Monday morning, the state has not said how many of the cases from Friday to Saturday were considered backlog cases.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye issued the following statement on 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."

Stitt released a statement Saturday and asked Oklahomans "to do the right thing" and to follow CDC guidelines -- practice social distancing, wear a face mask and wash your hands regularly -- to help slow the spread.

On Sept. 8, the state health department said it has begun the transition to include antigen test results to the state's data collection and reporting system. A positive antigen test result is considered a "probable" case, while a positive molecular test result is consider a "confirmed" case.

Antigen testing is a rapid test that can be completed in less than an hour. Molecular tests usually take days before results are made available.

On July 15, Stitt said he had tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first governor in the country to test positive for the virus. He has since posted video updates of concerning his health and quarantine.

Oklahoma reported its first child death related to the virus on July 12. The child was a 13-year-old daughter of a soldier stationed at Fort Sill.

Shortly after the report of the girl's death, state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister recommended for all Oklahomans to wear face masks to allow the safely reopening of schools in the fall.

On June 30, Stitt wore a face mask and "strongly encouraged" Oklahomans to follow CDC guidelines pertaining to face masks.

More: Gov. Stitt Recommends Wearing Face Masks During Update Concerning COVID-19 In State

On April 28, Stitt said anyone who wished to take a COVID-19 test could do so even if they are not presenting symptoms.

Related: Gov. Stitt Presents State's Coronavirus Figures To Show Oklahoma Is Ready To Reopen

The state health department advises anyone with COVID-19 symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever or coughing to stay home and limit person-to-person engagement. 

Previous Day: OSDH: 2,197 New COVID-19 Cases, 6 More Virus-Related Deaths Reported Since Saturday

The state coronavirus hotline is 877-215-8336 or 211. For a list of coronavirus (COVID-19) links and resources, click here.