White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Visits Oklahoma

White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx met with several state leaders to give guidance on the spread of COVID-19 in Oklahoma.

The doctor told state leaders, including Governor Kevin Stitt, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, and State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, that Oklahoma could see a spike in new cases in less than a month. She said the state is four weeks behind the south and needs to avoid asymptomatic spread that’s happening in other states.

The Superintendent tweeted this picture of the meeting, saying the doctor is asking people to change their behaviors.

Governor Stitt said the conversation centered around Kindergarten through 12 grade testing strategies, national trends, and possible reopening risks.

State leaders say Dr. Birx also praised the state’s testing response.

“She said traveling all over the country that she has not seen anywhere an instance where the governor or the mayor or city put in a mask mandate,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum. “You didn’t see two weeks later a decrease in cases and we’ve seen that here in Tulsa.”

“It’s not time to take the foot off the gas. We got to continue to be vigilant and continue to social distance especially as schools are coming back,” said Governor Kevin Stitt.

Dr. Birx also visited a long term care facility in Owasso. She advised nursing homes do more random testing.