In a recent one-week period, Oklahoma reported 18 deaths and 114 new cases of COVID-19 at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, bringing the total number of residents and staff who have died to 155 as of May 22.
Using public data and reports through May 22 from the Oklahoma State Department of Health, The Frontier analyzed the state’s coronavirus deaths to try to determine where the disease is spreading and who it is hurting the most.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health, which tracks fatalities, gets reports from hospitals, physicians and long-term care facilities, said agency spokeswoman Shelley Zumwalt.
People are usually tested for COVID-19 before they die, Zumwalt said, but in some cases, for a death that is presumed to be related to the disease, the state medical examiner’s office will work to confirm it was a contributing factor.
It is the medical examiner’s duty to sign off on the death certificate, and the office and state health department work together to reconcile positive cases and deaths, Zumwalt said.
