OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – It was mid-December when the primary COVID-19 shot was given in Oklahoma. Now we’re reaching a giant milestone within the quantity of individuals getting vaccinated.
As of Thursday, almost 25% of the state is absolutely vaccinated however well being leaders within the state say it might take some earlier than we hit 50%.
“I feel we’ve got slowed down significantly,” mentioned OU Well being’s Dr. Dale Bratzler.
However curiosity within the shot seems to be petering out.
“I feel all of us are conscious that we’ve been seeing these giant vaccination pods that aren’t filling up,” Bratzler mentioned.
With the variants choosing up in different states, like Michigan, there may be concern the identical factor might occur here– earlier than we even hit herd immunity.
“If we noticed a bigger outbreak of the UK variant, for example in Oklahoma, and we had lots of people who didn’t have immunity, then sure it might unfold fairly quickly,” Bratzler mentioned.
Having a look on the State Division of Well being’s COVID-19 danger stage map, since March twenty ninth, central Oklahoma is on the yellow alert stage. However this week, it’s again within the orange. With greater than 14.29 circumstances per 100,000 individuals.
“I feel it’s an artifact of these 1200 extra circumstances that have been reported by the state well being division on April seventh. Keep in mind there was one lab within the state that wasn’t giving all of their information to the state well being division for constructive COVID exams. On a single day, the state well being division dumped all of that information into it,” Bratzler mentioned.
Bratzler believes the numbers ought to come again down within the subsequent week, inflicting these counties to alter again to yellow.
However a giant elephant within the room– the selection some Oklahomans are making to assemble with no vaccine and with out social distancing.
“Individuals appear to be letting their guard down, not carrying masks,” Bratzler mentioned. “It solely takes just a few tremendous spreader occasions to essentially see a big enhance within the variety of circumstances… We might completely see the variety of circumstances return up once more.”
Proper now, Oklahoma isn’t doing a lot testing for variants.
However Bratzler says that ought to change quickly, because the state’s new lab might have the potential to do as much as 700 sequences per day.
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