House Democrats To Announce New Program As COVID-19 Cases Spike

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, House minority leader Emily Virgin will lead a news conference of state democratic leaders, unveiling a new policy to prepare Oklahoma for future pandemics and to focus on the surge of COVID-19 patients in hospitals, at the State Capitol.

The State Health Department reports 295 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the new state total to 11,028. 265 Oklahomans are now in the hospital battling the virus, compared to just 69 on June 1. Two more patients have died and 240 more have recovered.

Read Related: 295 More Coronavirus Cases, 2 More Virus-Related Deaths Reported In Oklahoma, OSDH Says  

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt addressed the twist in this new surge. This time Oklahomans from 18 to 50-years-old are driving the recent spike in cases. A couple of months ago it was the same story for the elderly.

“We proved for a month that we are capable of flattening the curve even as we returned to activities that we had set aside in March and April, then came June,” said Mayor David Holt during a virtual press conference.

The Mayor said OKC needs to do a better job of wearing masks, social distancing, and hand-washing to curb cases, or the city may have to take a step backwards. 

“If hospitalizations continue to rise at the rate seen over the last couple of days, or if deaths turn to the rates seen previously, we will have little choice but to roll back to earlier phases of reopening.”

 The State Health Department is expected to release new COVID-19 numbers Wednesday morning at 11 a.m.