Altus, south Oklahoma City and Yukon were among the biggest hotspots for COVID-19 infections in the past week, according to an analysis of Oklahoma State Department of Health ZIP code data.
Previous weeks’ hotspots, like Stillwater and suburban Tulsa, continued to record new cases but also had significant numbers of recovered patients.
Overall, the state has had more than 24,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Community spread in many areas meant Oklahoma recorded its largest single week of new cases since the first case was recorded in March. There were more than 5,000 new cases this week, twice as many cases as were recorded in the entire month of May.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals reached a new high this week. There were 638 patients in hospitals on July 15, surpassing the previous high of 562 patients set on March 31. That number had fallen to 547 patients on July 17.
Methodology: Oklahoma Watch calculated the weekly active cases for each ZIP code in the state by taking the number of new COVID-19 cases since July 10 and subtracting the number of deaths and recoveries in that ZIP code. The Oklahoma State Department of Health considers a patient “recovered” if they are out of a 14-day period and have not died. The designation is not a reflection of any single patient’s ongoing health conditions from an infection.
