Oklahoma coronavirus death toll rises by 14; more than 1,100 new positive cases reported

JASON: WELCOME BACK. 1100 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES IN OKLAHOMA REPORTED ON MONDAY. THE STATE’S ACTIVE CASE COUNT NOW MOVES BEYOND 12,00 HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE LATEST TRENDS IN OUR STATE AND BEYOND IS DR. DALE BRATZL , THINK YOU FOR JOINING US. LET’S START WITH WHAT IS GOI ON OU’S CAMPUS. HE TALKED ABOUT A SPINNING SURVEILLANCE TESTING. WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH STUDENTS LIVING ON CAMPUS AND STUDENT HOUSING IN TERMS OF RANDOM TESTING? DR. BRATZLER WE ARE DOING TWO DIFFERENT THINGS ON THE NORMAN CAMPUS. ANY STUDENT, STAFF, OR FACULTY CAN GO TO THE HEALTH CENTER ON CAMPUS AND GET A FREE TEST DONE. WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO THAT. WE DECIDED TO DO A BIT MORE ROBUST TESTING IN HOUSING. YOU PUT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN SMALL SPACES AND DORMITORIES AND RESIDENCE HALLS. WE ARE DOING TWO THINGS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO DO SURVEILLANCE TESTING FOR COVID-19, AND THE WASTE THAT COMES OUT OF THE BUILDINGS. WE HAVE PICKED A SAMPLE OF ABOUT 25% OF THE STUDENTS THAT LIVE IN THE UNIVERSITY HOUSING. WE INVITED THEM TO COME DOWN TO GET A FREE TEST DONE AT OUR SECOND TESTING SITE ON CAMPUS TO GET A BETTER SENSE OF THE PREVALENCE OF THE DISEASE AMONG THE STUDENT BODY, PARTICULARLY THOSE LIVING IN CLOSE QUARTERS. JASON: THERE WAS A GOOD DEAL OF DISAPPOINTMENT COMING OUT OF THE GAME LAST WEEK. PEOPLE IN THE CROWD NOT WEARING MASKS. HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS THAT THIS COMING WEEKEND? IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO ENFORCE THAT? JUST TELLING PEOPLE TO PUT THEIR MASKS ON? DR. BRATZLER: THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT HAS COME UP WITH A GOOD PLAN TO TRY TO IMPROVE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST GAME. PART OF IT WAS A BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION BECAUSE THE STUDENT SECTION HAD BEEN MOVED. A LOT OF THE UPPERCLASSMAN CAME TO THE GAME AND DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE STUDENT SECTION HAVE BEEN MOVED. THIS TIME EACH STUDENT WILL HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT. THEY WILL BE WATCHING IT CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THEY STAY IN THOSE ASSIGNED SEATS. WE HAVE MARKED UP SEATS PEOPLE CANNOT SIT IN AND THEY WILL BE SECURITY TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES SET UP IN THE STADIUM. THE GOAL IS TO KEEP PEOPLE PHYSICALLY DISTANT. THEY WILL BE SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS ALLOWED TO SIT TOGETHER. WE ARE TRYING TO PHYSICALLY DISTANCE AS MUCH AS WE CAN WITH ALL OF THE FANS INSIDE THE STADIUM. WE WILL BE WATCHING FOR WEARING MASKS. THEY ARE REQUIRED ANY TIME ARE ON THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. JASON: YOU SAID STUDENT MAY NOT COME BACK TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION UNTIL AFTER THANKSGIVING. WHY THAT TIMELINE? DR. BRATZLER: OSU HAD ALREADY ANNOUNCED THAT. WE HAVE NOT MADE THAT DECISION YET. THE PRESIDENT, THE BOARD OF REGENTS, THE OTHER LEADERSHIP ON THE NORMAN CAMPUS WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION ABOUT WHEN STUDENTS COME BACK. WHEN YOU HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OR LARGE PROPORTION OF THE STUDENT BODY LEAVE THE STATE AND POTENTIALLY GO HOME, THEY COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME INFECTED. IT RAISES A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT RETESTING WHEN THEY COME BACK AFTER THE BREAK OR NOT. MANY UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY DECIDED TO GO ONLINE FOR THOSE LAST TWO OR THREE WEEKS OF THE SEMESTER. OUR DECISION HAS NOT BEEN MADE YET. I THINK IT WILL COME OUT SOON. JASON: ONE OF THE BIGGEST NATIONAL HEADLINES IS THE REVERSAL BY THE CDC ON ITS GUIDELINES WHEN IT COMES TO AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION. A LOT OF FOLKS ARE CONFUSED. WHAT IS GOING ON? DR. BRATZLER: I READ THE ORIGINAL POSTING THE CDC MADE ABOUT AEROSOL TRANSMISSION. FRANKLY IT WAS THAT ANYTHING WE DID NOT ALREADY KNOW. WE HAVE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME THAT — WHEN YOU SPEAK, COUGH, SNEZE, HE GOES FURTHER FROM YOUR MOUTH. THEY WILL GO FURTHER DOWNWIND THAN THEY DO IF THE WIND ISN’T IN YOUR FACE. WE HAVE KNOWN THAT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WE HAVE KNOWN RESTAURANTS REPRESENT AN AREA WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET INFECTED. PARTICULARLY IF AIRFLOW CARRIES DROPLETS WITHIN THE RESTAURANT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY POSTED OVER THE WEEKEND AND SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK DOWN, WHAT THEY HIGHLIGHTED WAS EXAMPLES OF AEROSOL TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS ALL IN SETTINGS WHERE PEOPLE DON’T WEAR MASKS. RESTAURANTS. YOU TAKE YOUR MASK OFF TO EAT YOUR MEAL. GYMS. BARS AND OTHER SETTINGS. IT DIDN’T CHANGE ANYTHING IN MY OPINION BECAUSE WE HAVE PUT IN THE POLICY THOSE REQUIREMENTS TO WEAR OUR MASK TO PROTECT YOU FROM BOTH THE DROPLETS GETTING IN THE AIR B ALSO KEEPING YOU FROM BREATHING IN DROPLETS. I WILL HIGHLIGHT AGAIN ANYTIME YOU GO TO ANY EVENT INDOORS AND WHETHER OUR PEOPLE NOT WEARING MASKS, YOU INCREASE THE RISK OF TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS. JASON: WE HAVE SEEN THE SEVEN-DATE AVERAGE JUMP UP FIVE OR SIX TRADE DAYS WITH 1000 PLUS CASES. WHAT IS GOING ON? DR. BRATZLER: I THINK IT IS PROBABLY A COMBINATION OF THINGS GOING ON. I THINK WE HAVE LET OUR GUARD DOWN. I THINK SOMETIMES WE HAVE NOT BEEN QUITE AS RELIGIOUS ABOUT AVOIDING LARGE CROWDS. THE OTHER THING IS THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND MAY HAVE PLAYED SOME ROLE IN THE RECENT INCREASE. AND THE FACT THAT SCHOOLS ARE CK NOW. IF YOU LOOK AT OKLAHOMA DATA, THE GROUP WITH THE MOST NEW CASES ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 24. THAT TAKES YOUR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS THROUGH YOUR COLLEGE AGED KIDS. THEY DON’T GET VERY SICK WHEN THEY GET THE DISEASE BUT THEY CAN TRANSMITTED TO OTHER — TRANSMIT IT TO OTHERS. TRENDS I THINK ARE IMPORTANT. FIRST, WE’VE HAD BIG OUTBREAKS IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC WE WERE DEALING WITHOUT BREAKS IN NURSING HOMES AND OTHER SETTINGS. WE ARE SEEING THAT SAME THING HAPPENED NOW IN MULTIPLE CORRECTION FACILITIES. THE COUNTY WITH THE MOST CASES IN THE STATE YESTERDAY WAS WOODWARD COUNTY. NEARLY 400 OF THOSE 1100 CASES REPORTED BECAUSE OF A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. THE OTHER TREND I NOTICED IS IN OUR METROPOLITAN AREAS, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST POPULATIONS, WE TYPICALLY SEE THE MOST NEW CASES FROM THE METROPOLITAN AREAS. THE ACTUAL POPULATION-BASED INCIDENCE OF COVID-19 HAVE GONE DOWN CONSIDERABLY IN BOTH OKLAHOMA CITY AND TULSA WHO HAVE MASS MANDATES. WE ARE SEEING OUTBREAKS IN TERMS OF CASES PER POPULATION NO IN THE RURAL COMMUNITIES. JASON: WHAT YOU HAVE A FEW SECONDS LEFT. FIRST DAY OF FALL. WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HALLOWEEN. THE CDC SAID HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES ARE OFF. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IF YOU ARE WEARING A MASK TRICK-OR-TREATING YOU SHOULD BE OK. DR. BRATZLER: THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ACTIVITIES I RECOMMEND PEOPLE AVOID. MANY COMMUNITIES WILL HAVE PARTIES. HALLOWEEN PARTIES TO KEEP THE KIDS OFF THE STREET. THAT IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA, A BUNCH OF PEOPLE IN CLOSE QUARTERS IN AN INDOOR SETTING FOR HALLOWEEN. IF PEOPLE ARE TRICK-OR-TREATING, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE KIDS WEAR A MASK. WHETHER IT IS UNDERNEATH THE HALLOWEEN MASK THEY ARE WEARING. THEY SHOULD WEAR SOMETHING THAT COVERS THEIR MOUTH AND NOSE TO PROTECT THEM. SECOND, TRY TO AVOID DOING TRICK-OR-TREATING IN A LARGE GROU DO IT IN SMALLER GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALLY. THAT REDUCES THE RISK. THE REALITY IS WHEN YOU GO TO SOMEBODY’S DOOR AND RING THE DOORBELL AND SAY TRICK-OR-TREAT AND GET SOME CANDY, THAT INTERACTION IS USUALLY VERY SHORT. I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES TO WEAR OUR MASK IF THE KIDS COME AROUND. I THINK IF YOU WEAR OUR MASK, AVOID BIG CROWDS. DO IT IN SMALL GROUPS. KEEP THE INTERACTIONS REDUCED. IT CAN PROBABLY BE DONE SAFELY. IT IS DONE OUTDOORS USUALLY. JASON: WE APPRECIATE YOUR T

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