OU Medical Chief Explains Rise In Oklahoma COVID-19 Cases

Doctors in Oklahoma are raising awareness this afternoon about a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases.

"It’s very easy to see when you look at the map that we're seeing high rates of transmission that are creeping into northeast Oklahoma and literally just following the I-44 corridor down into the state," said Dr. Dale Bratzler, OU’s Chief COVID Officer.

Bratzler says the 7 day rolling average of new cases statewide is up to 261 per day, about 2 and a half times higher than early June. He says a contributing factor is the surges in both Missouri and Arkansas and the prevalence of the Delta variant.

"Clearly people get just as sick with this variant as people did with the original COVID variants," said Bratzler.

A hospital in Springfield, Missouri says they ran out of ventilators because of a recent surge there. Bratzler says Oklahoma could see this surge in localized areas as well. A hospital in Grove is already seeing an increase in hospitalizations.

"Seems like we're seeing patients who are younger, they're coming in sicker and I have high suspicions for Delta variant," said Dr. Sam Ratermann, a doctor at Integris Hospital in Grove.

Ratermann says at his hospital, about 25 percent of the COVID patients are fully vaccinated, although those patients have recovered faster.

He thinks low vaccination rates of about 28 percent in Delaware County could be playing a factor in the recent uptick.

"I think that's really what’s fueling this delta variant coming in,” said Ratermann. “It really seems to be preying on those unvaccinated people. As we get more and more cases then that spills into the other people who were vaccinated."

Right now, 166 people are in the hospital with COVID-19 statewide, 55 of them are in the ICU.

For perspective, the peak was about 2,000 in early January.