Name: Health officials discover 820 unreported positive COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma
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Health officials discover 820 unreported positive COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma

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Posted: Jul 21, 2020 / 03:37 PM CDTUpdated: Jul 21, 2020 / 06:15 PM CDTThis is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – As Oklahomans and health experts have been watching the state’s coronavirus case numbers closely, the Oklahoma State Department of Health says there have been a few discrepancies with the numbers.On Monday, health officials announced that numbers have been lower in Oklahoma for a few days due to a “technical data entry issue.”“Due to technical difficulties related to data automation, case counts for Sunday, July 19 and Monday, July 20 are low and do not reflect real-time data. The same technical glitch occurred on June 5 and June 18 and the issue was resolved on both occasions within 24 hours.When the technical issue is resolved, people can expect to see a significant bulk increase in the number of new cases reported that does not reflect an increase in the rate of infection.OSDH and other public health officials throughout the nation are dealing with outdated data systems and are often dependent on fax machines and manual data entry. OSDH is in the midst of an upgrade to the Public Health Investigation and Disease Detection of Oklahoma (PHIDDO) disease reporting system that will make the date entry process more efficient.STATEMENT FROM OKLAHOMA STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH“OSDH is highly focused on COVID-19 testing, effectively tracing cases and ensuring those individuals who test positive are quarantined as quickly as possible before they spread the virus to others,” said interim Commissioner Lance Frye. “We recognize the significant issues we’ve experienced in the past and are working to eliminate them by incorporating new technology to enhance the current system as we work towards a long-term solution.”On Tuesday, Interim Commissioner of Health Col. Lance Frye said there were 894 new COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma following the technical error.Fortunately, he says the state’s dashboard should be fixed and up-to-date in the coming days.After discovering the error, Frye said the agency also uncovered a backlog of 820 positive cases that have not been reported publicly, meaning the state has seen 27,147 positive COVID-19 cases since March.“The backlog reported today is not indicative of our efforts to communicate directly to confirmed cases,” Frye said.Frye says the system that has been used was never meant to take on a pandemic, adding it has crashed several times. When that happens, Frye says that employees have go through and verify every single positive result to make sure they are accurate, which can take hours. In the meantime, they are working on a new system for the future.During a news conference, Gov. Kevin Stitt provided an update on his case after he tested positiveStitt says he is feeling fine, adding he just had a little bit of stuffiness a couple of days ago. He says no one that he came into direct contact with him since last Saturday has tested positive.“I didn’t have the traditional symptoms of COVID-19; no fever, no cough, no shortness of breath. But instead, the moment that I felt just a slight hesitation that something was off, I took action, wore a mask into the office that day. When I was speaking to others, I was very conscientious of staying six feet away,” Stitt said.Since his positive diagnosis, Stitt says he has been in isolation at home and away from his family.“It just shows that we can minimize the spread of COVID-19 when we work together and when we realize our personal actions impact our neighbors,” Stitt said.As for hospitals, Frye says they remain in a strong position to treat COVID-19 cases across the state.As cases continue to rise, state leaders say they are increasing the number of flex centers across Oklahoma from two to seven. As a result, the number of flex beds in hospitals that can be used for COVID-19 patients is increasing.Officials said they want to be well prepared in case Oklahoma experiences a surge in cases.According to officials at Mercy, the hospitals started with 16 patients at the beginning of this month. Now, that number has grown to 39.“The surge is real. It is happening. We are seeing an increase in patients. OSU Medical Center is up to 21 patients as of this morning that are COVID positive or under investigation, but we continue to bring on resources as they’re needed,” said Eric Polak, CEO of OSU Medical Authority.LATEST STORIES:Suggest a CorrectionThanks for signing up!Watch for us in your inbox.Subscribe NowThanks for signing up!Watch for us in your inbox.Subscribe Now✕× Close Ad

Posted: Jul 21, 2020 / 03:37 PM CDTUpdated: Jul 21, 2020 / 06:15 PM CDTThis is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – As Oklahomans and health experts have been watching the state’s coronavirus case numbers closely, the Oklahoma State Department of Health says there have been a few discrepancies with the numbers.On Monday, health officials announced that numbers have been lower in Oklahoma for a few days due to a “technical data entry issue.”“Due to technical...

Health officials discover 820 unreported positive COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma

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