Vaccinations can prevent hospitalization and death for those who contract the virus; even previous recovery from a COVID-19 infection is no guarantee against severe illness from the delta variant.
Get tests mailed to you: COVID-19 information Oklahomans need to know
More to read at tulsaworld.com/coronavirus
Herd immunity and the delta variant in Oklahoma
Where to find a vaccination
With the vaccine readily available now, patients can schedule with their medical providers.
Other ways to get vaccinated, as listed by Tulsa Health Department:
- Tulsa Health Department
- James O. Goodwin Health Center, 5051 S. 129th East Ave.
- Central Regional Health Center, 315 S. Utica Ave.
- North Regional Health and Wellness Center, 5635 M.L.K. Jr Blvd.
- Sand Springs Health Center, 306 E Broadway St., Sand Springs
- Community Vaccine Center - no appointment necessary, Pfizer only
- Tulsa Community College Northeast Campus (pictured), 3727 E. Apache St.
- Select Walmart locations
- Select Sam's Club locations (for members with online account)
- Morton Comprehensive Health Services, 1334 N. Lansing Ave.
- Asbury United Methodist, 6767 S. Mingo Road
- City of Broken Arrow, 1101 N. Sixth Street, Broken Arrow
COVID consequences: What can unvaccinated people expect if they get infected?
Where you can find COVID testing
If you've had exposure to someone who tests positive, get a COVID test ASAP regardless if either of you is asymptomatic.
Specimens may now be taken for testing through many medical providers. Consult your primary care physician's office for information.
The comparatively high positivity rates in Oklahoma could be inflated by testing apathy, health experts have said, but infections are occurring even in vaccinated individuals.
If you're planning to travel by plane, the Tulsa International Airport has been offering testing for passengers through Alpha Xpress Labs.
More testing options, as listed by Tulsa Health Department:
- Walmart locations
- CVS locations
- Access Medical Care
- Morton Comprehensive Health Services, 1334 N. Lansing Ave.
- Med Express, 2140 S. Yale Ave.
- MCI Diagnostics, 7018 S. Utica Ave.
- Community Health Connection, 12020 E. 31 St.
- Regional Medical Laboratory, 9330 E. 41st St.
Can unvaccinated people be immune due to a previous COVID infection?
What variants have been found here?
Health officials are urging residents to be aware of new symptoms possible with COVID-19 variants and to get tested if you don't feel well, even if you've been vaccinated.
Vaccination rates
About 47% of Oklahomans age 12 and older are fully vaccinated, compared to the national average of 56.3%.
About 99.5% of COVID-19 deaths have been in unvaccinated individuals.
Herd immunity goals of 60% or 70% vaccination rates likely will be insufficient to prevent spread of the delta variant, as the virus can still mutate and learn to become even more effective.
Where does Oklahoma stand?
COVID update from Bruce Dart: Tulsa metro at higher risk into late July
Most updated mask guidance from CDC, WHO
Breakthrough cases are occurring in vaccinated individuals, who in a small percentage of cases are requiring hospitalization for those infections. Fourteen Oklahomans have died with COVID after getting a breakthrough infection, and 107 hospitalized.
The World Health Organization and CDC agree: Unvaccinated individuals should keep wearing face masks in public places.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance that it's safe for teachers and students who are fully vaccinated to skip face masks.
The CDC's stance contradicts the World Health Organization recommendation: To slow the more-contagious delta variant among an increase in breakthrough infections, even vaccinated individuals should continue to wear face masks in crowded areas.
Masks may still be specifically required in some settings, including air travel and at private retailers.
Epidemiologist weighs in on future of pandemic
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Oklahoma State Medical Association agrees emergency order needed as cases rise
Will there be masks in schools?
This spring the Legislature passed and Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 658, which bars school districts from imposing mask mandates unless the governor declares a public health emergency — something Stitt has said he wouldn’t do amid a sharp rise in COVID-related hospitalizations.
Tulsa Public Schools' COVID-19 safety plan for the 2021-22 school year includes “expecting” students and staff to wear masks while on campus. Masks were mandatory on TPS campuses until June 8 and, citing federal rules regarding public transportation, will remain mandatory on school buses. TPS’ reentry plan acknowledges the restrictions in the new state law and does not include language explicitly requiring anyone to wear a mask while on campus.
"Go get your shots." Unvaccinated COVID patient talks about his illness
Primary care physician Brad Hardy discusses post-COVID syndrome
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Oklahoma, encourages COVID-19 vaccine
Health care worker worries
LaWanna Halstead, an Oklahoma Hospital Association vice president, said staffing is a major concern because the hospital industry has lost medical professionals not just to COVID deaths but burnout, too. She said hospitals in Grove, Miami and Tahlequah are full as the hospital community works to handle the rapid influx without the leeway offered by an emergency order from the governor.
Dr. Ryan Parker at Saint Francis said animosity is also affecting physicians. She’s encountered anger in the ER just for inquiring about a patient’s vaccination status. “We went very quickly from being ‘Heroes work here’ to people getting angry with us for asking them to get vaccines and stuff like that.”
Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, said short-staffed pediatric wards are filling up at hospitals, resulting in children being taken 100 miles or 200 miles from home for treatment. Clarke has said COVID-related isolation and quarantines are affecting health care workers who, like those in other work settings, then have to cover for their colleagues.
Costs of COVID-19 hospitalization
The average cost of hospital care for COVID-19 patients without insurance (or at an out-of-network provider) is about $51,000 for patients age 21-40, and $78,569 for patients between 41 and 60 years old, according a July report from FAIR Health.
ER physician Dr. Jordan Wolfe (second from left) works with a team of nurses last month at Saint Francis.
Post-COVID infection expectations
Nearly one-quarter of patients had at least one post-COVID condition 30 days or more after their initial diagnosis.
Patients with more severe cases of COVID-19 have more post-infection health conditions, but 19% of asymptomatic cases also suffer long-hauler symptoms.
The five most common post-COVID conditions across all ages (from most to least common): pain, breathing difficulties, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol/triglycerides), malaise and fatigue, and high blood pressure.
'We may not be able to achieve herd immunity,' OU Health COVID expert says
'Even vaccinated people who get (delta) ... can spread it to other people,' doctor warns
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COVID testing has ramped back up around Tulsa, affecting high positivity rate
What do pregnant women need to know?
As of Aug. 14, 76.2% of pregnant people were unvaccinated.
Pregnant women with COVID-19 are 15 times more likely to die, 14 times more likely to need to be intubated and 22 times more likely to have preterm birth, according to an August JAMA Network Open study.
Vaccine studies on pregnant women began in February, and evidence has shown no increased risk of miscarriage.
There's also no indication COVID vaccines put fertility at risk, said Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a gynecologist and professor at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Isolation and quarantine guidance for classroom exposures
Epidemiologists are identifying a high volume of new cases in schools. Parents are asked not to send children to school if they have tested positive for COVID-19. If someone in the household tests positive, parents are asked not to send students to in-person learning until an appropriate two-week quarantine has elapsed.
Students, teachers and staff should not come to school when they have signs of any infectious illness and are asked to isolate until diagnostic test results can be obtained.
The CDC says even fully vaccinated people exposed to COVID-19 should be tested within three to five days after a known exposure, regardless if they have symptoms.
Why aren't COVID-19 patients receiving the vaccine while hospitalized?
What have Oklahoma health leaders said so far about COVID-19 booster shots?
'Continued death rates high for some time to come' despite decreasing cases in Oklahoma
OSU Medical Center doctor on Regeneron: 'The only effective therapy that we have for COVID-19 right now'
Explainer on COVID testing in Oklahoma schools funded through early-detection grant
COVID data expert: 'We're moving into a bit of an endemic situation'
How long might Oklahoma have COVID-19 'population immunity'?
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When can children get vaccinated?
The Food and Drug Administration on Oct. 29 paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
The FDA cleared kid-size doses — just a third of the amount given to teens and adults — for emergency use, and up to 28 million more American children could be eligible for vaccinations as early as next week.
One more regulatory hurdle remains: On Tuesday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make more detailed recommendations on which youngsters should get vaccinated, with a final decision by the agency's director expected shortly afterwards.
Who is mandated to receive a COVID-19 vaccine?
Health care employees, like with many other vaccine-preventable illnesses, are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Oklahoma is among 12 states fighting in court the federal government requirement.
Another Oklahoma lawsuit also has resulted in a temporary restraining order to prevent Ascension St. John from suspending or firing employees who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and whose religious exemption has been denied.
Attorney General John O’Connor also has sued in other courts in efforts to stop federal vaccination mandates, including one for federal contractors. He joined attorneys general in six other states in asking for a stay of a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule requiring that employees in workplaces of 100 or more be vaccinated.
Where is the Pfizer vaccine study data?
The drugmaker has released the information to the FDA, which used it in licensing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for use in the U.S., but a federal Freedom of Information Act request could take as long as 55 years to complete.
With 329,000 pages to go through for redaction, the FDA has said it should not be held to the statutory timeframes for such an information release. Federal attorneys have stated proprietary business information and other confidential material must be protected.
A federal hearing in Texas is set for Dec. 14 after a group of academic professionals filed a lawsuit seeking an expedited release of the data. They believe it is needed in ongoing debates with vaccine skeptics.
How do Oklahomans feel about federal vaccine mandates?
Healthier Oklahoma Coalition: Omicron is likely already here, with not enough testing
With COVID found in deer and other animals, new virus mutations a concern
Updated isolation and quarantine guidance
The CDC has cut isolation restrictions for COVID-19 infections from 10 to five days, as well as decreasing quarantine for those exposed to an active infection.
Asymptomatic cases should isolate for five days, according to updated CDC guidance published Dec. 27 amid the spread of omicron variant. Those individuals should follow the isolation with five days of mask-wearing when around other individuals.
"The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after," the CDC states.
For those exposed to COVID-19 who have no immunity (i.e. unvaccinated or lapsed booster dose), a five-day quarantine is recommended followed by strict mask use for five more days.
"If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19," the CDC states.
Risk of reinfection higher with omicron variant, Oklahoma epidemiologist says
Kids with COVID symptoms: When do parents need to seek urgent care?
Incidence of severe or fatal COVID in children similar to adult rate, Saint Francis doctor says
It's hard to pinpoint where COVID-19 transmission is highest now because "it is just everywhere," Tulsa Health Department Director Bruce Dart says, with omicron found in 95% of wastewater recently tested.
