State Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations keep soaring

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The number of people infected and hospitalized with the coronavirus in recent days continued to climb Monday to near-record levels in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 3,885 new coronavirus infections and 14 deaths on Monday, along with 1,926 people hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is short of the record 1,994 people who were hospitalized on Jan. 5. The rise in hospitalizations prompted Julie Watson, the chief medical officer of Integris Health, one of the state’s largest health care systems, to warn last week that doctors may have to begin prioritizing which COVID-19 patients nearing death are able to receive lifesaving care.

The state reported 6,487 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a record one-day high. Health officials say the record numbers are due in part to people getting together for holiday gatherings.

The total number of coronavirus infections in Oklahoma has reached 335,247, and the state’s death count totals 2,775.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Oklahoma has risen over the past two weeks from 22.57 deaths per day on Dec. 27 to 30.57 deaths per day on Jan. 10, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.