Oklahoma can expect a peak, then dramatic drop, in its infection rates from the omicron variant of COVID-19, but that peak likely is weeks away.
Interim Commissioner of Health Keith Reed made the observation Wednesday during a briefing on the status of COVID-19 in Oklahoma. The good news: there is no reason to expect Oklahoma won’t see the same peak and dramatic drop already observed in other states fighting the omicron variant. The bad news: the spread rate will continue to be high until then and even when the infection rate drops, a corresponding drop in patient hospitalization rates won’t happen for weeks.
Reed said Oklahoma, like other states, has seen a substantial increase in COVID-19 due mainly to the omicron variant, although the delta variant still is present, mostly in Oklahoma’s rural areas. Reed, noting there aren’t any good estimates about total numbers of the omicron variant, said unvaccinated Oklahomans and those who are immune compromised remain at risk. Because of omicron’s highly contagious nature, the state’s health care workforce also is experiencing a high infection rate.
That’s why Reed and other health care professionals continue to urge Oklahomans to observe the same protocols they have preached since the pandemic began: wash your hands, watch your distance and wear your mask. And, get a vaccination/booster.
Reed said based on what health care experts have observed in other countries and even in some states, Oklahoma’s infection rates will drop. He said New York already is seeing a rapid decline in cases, as is Florida, New Mexico and Louisiana, states where the variant started earlier than it did in Oklahoma.
“We anticipate we will follow suit very soon,” he said, adding no one can predict when “soon” is, beyond noting it is weeks away.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said Sunday while the United States as a whole has not reached peak, omicron it is leveling off in some parts of the country, with Washington, D.C., showing signs of peaking in the last few days. He also said when the decline begins, hospital numbers will stay elevated for several more weeks, straining resources.
Reed said while the omicron variant isn’t as severe as delta, the sheer number of inflected residents is driving up hospitalizations. Health care workers also are seeing more break-through cases and more of them are getting sick. That’s important because a hospital’s capacity is based on its ability to staff beds, and missing staff reduces its capacity.
“Their struggle is real,” Reed said. “And we understand that frustration.”
Reed said state leaders can continue doing other things to help control the spread of COVID-19. The State Department of Health has expanded testing availability, and Reed encourages residents to take advantage of those sites rather than going to emergency rooms. He said residents also can order free testing kits via covidtest.gov, with tests shipped to their homes in seven to 12 days. While the availability of those tests is encouraging, it presents new challenges, Reed said, explaining there is no mechanism for compiling the results of positive home tests, meaning state officials don’t know the full scope of COVID-19.
Reed also addressed the issue of monoclonal antibodies, lab-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight harmful pathogens. The antibodies may block the COVID-19 virus from attaching to human cells, making it more difficult for the virus to reproduce.
Oklahoma’s supply of monoclonal antibodies is insufficient, Reed said, adding Gov. Kevin Stitt is pursuing options to increase the state’s allocations. There is another issue to consider: while there are three types of such antibodies, the most effective is the one in shortest supply. The antibodies also are used only for patients who meet specific criteria, in an effort to reduce severe symptoms in high-risk patients to prevent hospitalizations and death.
“We want to prevent severe illness and prevent hospitals from being strained as much as we can,” he said, adding the recently-developed monoclonal antibody pills also are in short supply.
