OSDH Gives COVID-19 Update After Several Officials Resign From Department

The Oklahoma State Department of Health held its first news conference since several top officials stepped down.

Within the last month, OSDH's chief financial officer, chief operation officer and Commissioner of Health Dr. Lance Frye resigned from their positions at the agency.

New interim Commissioner of Health Keith Reed said the three leaving was a coincidence.

In Frye's resignation letter, he stated it is time for him to move forward as COVID-19 cases decreased and the state moves out of pandemic response.

Reed was not able to disclose anything further on why Frye chose to resign.

"Those are his own words and his own rationale for his resignation, and I wouldn't want to speculate beyond the words he provided in the resignation," said Reed.

Moving forward, Reed said employees throughout the agency have been stepping up to fill roles. He said Oklahomans should not be concerned and these resignations will not affect the day-to-day operations of the department.

"An organization like this is far more than one person or two or three," said Reed. "We are steady in our course. We have strong people stepping up. I will stand side by side with them every day and I have total confidence in them and as a team we are moving ahead."

Reed was asked if he's considering trying to become commissioner, he said that his roll as deputy commissioner fits him well.