As the Coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise, the Oklahoma Blood Institute is relaunching its coronavirus antibody testing. The antibody testing will tell people if they have previously contracted the virus and didn't know.
The blood institute performed the antibody testing earlier in the pandemic but recently in May stopped the testing. During that time nearly 300,000 tests were completed with a 16 percent positivity rate. The Oklahoma blood Institute said knowing whether you have previously had COVID can be beneficial when facing future health concerns.
The Central for Disease Control released new studies last week that enforcing masks in schools and public places helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. The CDC found that K-12 grades that did not have mask requirements at the beginning of the school year were 3.5 times more likely to have COVID outbreaks than schools that required people, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask indoors.
According to the CDC, teenagers have recently made up the majority of cases, with elderly adults making up some of the lowest weekly numbers. The Oklahoma State Health Department (OSHD) reports that 53 percent of cases are between the ages of 18 – 35 while 21 percent is ages 36-49, 18 percent in the age range of 50 – 64 and those 65 plus years is averaging 13 percent.
The OSDH is now tracking people who contract COVID a second time. The OSDH considers a reinfection if it comes at least 90 days after the first one. The virus has reinfected almost 4,700 vaccinated and unvaccinated Oklahomans this month alone and reinfections have risen more than 300 percent since May.
It has been reported that over two million people have received at least their first dose of the vaccine while over one million have received both doses. Booster shots of the Pfzier vaccine are immediately available for those eligible under federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines. The booster dose does not mean that the vaccine doesn't work. Professionals have determined that a booster shot provides an additional layer of protection. Those wanting a booster should contact a pharmacy, their medical provider or use the health departments vaccine scheduler portal.
As of today, Sept 28, Bristow is reporting a total of 1,376 confirmed cases. According to the OSDH, the community is seeing an average of 10-15 new cases weekly and the deaths for the community has risen to 43, that is an increase of threedeaths in a week's time.