OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – As of Tuesday, the state of Oklahoma ranks final within the nation in testing optimistic COVID-19 specimens for variants, regardless of having the one pandemic lab within the nation.
The state solely exams lower than 1 % of its optimistic specimens for variants.
The best state, Wyoming, exams simply over 15 %.
The delta variant is rather more contagious than the opposite variants, making unvaccinated individuals extra prone.
Solely 38 % of Oklahomans are totally vaccinated and Oklahoma well being officers stated the delta variant seems to be fueling rising case numbers.
Energetic instances have risen by 42 % prior to now two weeks.
“COVID-19 is a pandemic, is a public well being emergency and it does not respect borders, it does not respect demographics or our beliefs,” stated Dr. Dale Bratzler, the College of Oklahoma’s chief COVID-19 officer. “It’s a public well being problem. If we’ll gradual the unfold, we’ll should be very cautious and watch what occurs in Oklahoma.”
The shortage of testing for variants in Oklahoma is what well being officers stated causes concern for persevering with to trace them.
“We’re very involved,” stated Dr. Mary Clarke, President of the Oklahoma State Medical Affiliation. “We must be testing as many exams as we now have.”
The nation’s solely pandemic heart the place that testing takes place resides in Stillwater. It’s been operational since January.
“We’re nonetheless a bit of uncertain as to why we’re nonetheless testing such a low quantity,” Clarke stated.
“Definitely, there’s lots of components that come into play of the place these rankings come from,” stated state epidemiologist Joli Stone.
Stone advised KFOR Monday that the lab transferring from Oklahoma Metropolis to Stillwater was one delay. She additionally stated some referral labs not sending their specimens in to the state to be examined was one other.
“We did have a small space that we needed to depend on the CDC to do all of our sequencing,” Stone stated. “We did run the entire specimens that we obtained and that we now have gotten.”
Bratzler questioned if the lab has sufficient staffing to do extra specimen testing. Nonetheless, he stated they’ve the gear and the house. Bratzler agreed {that a} concentrate on getting optimistic exams turned in for sequencing, or testing, is important. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has the identical expectations for each state about its guidelines as to what specimens could be examined.
“I simply do not assume there’s been a concentrate on it, and we want to verify the laboratories are getting these specimens to the general public well being lab,” Bratzler stated. “So long as we now have unchecked unfold of this virus and extra infections, we’ll see extra variants.”
Remember to get contemporary headlines delivered to your inbox weekday mornings! You may also sign-up for breaking electronic mail alerts! KFOR.com/Newsletters
The delta variant has been confirmed in northeastern Oklahoma and officers predict that it may very well be predominant within the state within the close to future. The variant is 50 % extra contagious than the unique alpha variant and is making up 20 % of the nation’s new instances. Officers like Bratzler stated the spike within the northeastern a part of the state may very well be coming from southern Missouri, the place the delta variant is making up over 50 % of their new instances.
The state stated they’ve put calls out to referral labs to get them to ship in additional of their specimens for testing. The excellent news is that vaccinated Oklahomans seem to have good safety, even towards the delta variant. Lower than .05 % of people who find themselves totally vaccinated have gotten COVID-19 infections.
