OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Nearly 30 states across the U.S. are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, including Oklahoma, which reported more than 430 news cases on Thursday.

Data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health on Thursday morning shows that the state has had 11,948 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March. 

That’s an increase of 438 cases over the past 24 hours, or a 3.8% increase.

For the past week, health officials say they have seen a steady incline in cases across the state as more people go out in public and community spread increases.

Recently, a rumor claims that the increase in cases is due to the health department including positive antibody test results into the daily coronavirus case numbers. However, health department officials tell KFOR that is not the case.

“We are not combining antibody test results with the molecular tests. To join the two categories would be confusing and misleading for everyone. We are tracking antibody testing separately,” said Rob Crissinger, manager of communications for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

The cases are in the following counties:

• Adair: 111 (4 deaths) (92 recovered)
• Alfalfa: 1 (1 recovered)
• Atoka: 14 (9 recovered)
• Beaver: 30 (30 recovered)
• Beckham: 12 (8 recovered)
• Blaine: 14 (11 recovered)
• Bryan: 78 (1 death) (53 recovered)
• Caddo: 182 (10 deaths) (166 recovered)
• Canadian: 227 (3 deaths) (164 recovered)
• Carter: 80 (1 death) (59 recovered)
• Cherokee: 70 (1 death) (52 recovered)
• Choctaw: 108 (1 death) (100 recovered)
• Cimarron: 1 ( 1 recovered)
• Cleveland: 763 (40 deaths) (541 recovered)
• Coal: 6 (5 recovered)
• Comanche: 383 (5 deaths) (333 recovered)
• Cotton: 5 (2 deaths) (3 recovered)
• Craig: 19 (17 recovered)
• Creek: 129 (7 deaths) (106 recovered)
• Custer: 52 (42 recovered)
• Delaware: 121 (16 deaths) (96 recovered)
• Dewey: 4 (4 recovered)
• Ellis: 1
• Garfield: 64 (2 deaths) (49 recovered)
• Garvin: 54 (1 death) (26 recovered)
• Grady: 126 (5 deaths) (112 recovered)
• Grant: 2 (2 recovered)
• Greer: 66 (7 deaths) (57 recovered)
• Harper: 1 (1 recovered)
• Haskell: 7 (6 recovered)
• Hughes: 6 (3 recovered)
• Jackson: 34 (3 deaths) (26 recovered)
• Jefferson: 5 (4 recovered)
• Johnston: 10 (6 recovered)
• Kay: 83 (7 deaths) (60 recovered)
• Kingfisher: 24 (14 recovered)
• Kiowa: 6 (1 death) (5 recovered)
• Latimer: 7 (1 deaths) (6 recovered)
• Le Flore: 29 (1 death) (18 recovered)
• Lincoln: 29 (2 deaths) (22 recovered)
• Logan: 37 (1 death) (22 recovered)
• Love: 27 (26 recovered)
• Major: 8 (1 death) (5 recovered)
• Marshall: 25 (17 recovered)
• Mayes: 73 (4 deaths) (51 recovered)
• McClain: 139 (4 deaths) (115 recovered)
• McCurtain: 385 (2 deaths) (150 recovered)
• McIntosh: 48 (1 death) (20 recovered)
• Murray: 15 (12 recovered)
• Muskogee: 102 (9 deaths) (69 recovered)
• Noble: 34 (13 recovered)
• Nowata: 32 (1 death) (24 recovered)
• Okfuskee: 11 (6 recovered)
• Oklahoma: 2,410 (68 deaths) (1,733 recovered)
• Okmulgee: 51 (34 recovered)
• Osage: 154 (8 deaths) (115 recovered)
• *Other: 1
• Ottawa: 44 (2 deaths) (38 recovered)
• Pawnee: 51 (2 deaths) (40 recovered)
• Payne: 300 (1 death) (134 recovered)
• Pittsburg: 52 (3 deaths) (43 recovered)
• Pontotoc: 33 (2 deaths) (18 recovered)
• Pottawatomie: 91 (4 deaths) (66 recovered)
• Pushmataha: 10 (6 recovered)
• Rogers: 145 (5 deaths) (99 recovered)
• Seminole: 36 (3 deaths) (30 recovered)
• Sequoyah: 28 (3 deaths) (18 recovered)
• Stephens: 52 (1 death) (46 recovered)
• Texas: 984 (6 deaths) (968 recovered)
• Tillman: 23 (1 death) (22 recovered)
• Tulsa: 2,949 (66 deaths) (1,759 recovered)
• Wagoner: 226 (18 deaths) (159 recovered)
• Washington: 388 (38 deaths) (322 recovered)
• Washita: 3 (2 recovered)
• Woods: 5 (5 recovered)
• Woodward: 12 (10 recovered).

Officials say there are three additional deaths, bringing the total to 375 deaths connected to COVID-19.

The latest deaths were in Oklahoma County, two females in the 65 and older age group and one male in the 65 and older age group. 

So far, there have been 1,336 hospitalizations across the state and 277 patients are currently hospitalized.

According to health department data, officials believe 8,507 Oklahomans have recovered from the virus. Although the CDC recommends patients be tested twice to determine if they have recovered, health department officials say they are preserving tests for patients who are sick.

Instead, the Oklahoma State Department of Health identifies a person as recovered if they are currently not hospitalized or deceased and it has been 14 days since the onset of their symptoms or since they were diagnosed.

State officials urge Oklahomans to stay away from ill patients and to frequently wash their hands. Also, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

At this point, Americans are urged to practice ‘social distancing’ by staying in their homes as much as possible and not going out into a crowd.

The virus is mainly spread from person-to-person, and symptoms usually appear two to 14 days after exposure. Officials stress that the most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

If you do become sick, you are asked to stay away from others. If you have been in an area where the coronavirus is known to be spreading or been around a COVID-19 patient and develop symptoms, you are asked to call your doctor ahead of time and warn them that you might have been exposed to the virus. That way, experts say, they have the ability to take extra precautions to protect staff and other patients.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in China late last year and has since spread to locations across the globe, including the United States.

While the full extent of COVID-19 is not known yet, reported illnesses have ranged from extremely mild to severe, some resulting in death. Officials say that 80 to 85 percent of cases of COVID-19 have been mild, similar to a cold or the flu.

Older people and those with underlying health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes are at a greater risk for a serious case.

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