COVID cases rise slightly in Kay Co. as experts advise vaccination

by Jordan Green

Coronavirus case numbers have risen slightly in Kay County as the highly contagious delta variant spreads across the Midwest. Data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health on Monday showed that Kay County had 5,366 cases of the virus, 12 of which are active.

Officials said 5,226 Kay County residents have recovered from the virus, and 128 have died from it. In Kay County, no new deaths have been reported in weeks, and the number of active cases remains lower than it did earlier this year. However, as the delta variant spreads, health officials are cautioning people to get vaccinated against the virus. State officials report that there are 3,922 cases of the virus in Ponca City. Eighty-three people there have died, and 3,830 have recovered. Blackwell has 690 cases, with 661 recoveries and 28 deaths. Newkirk has 449 cases, with 442 recoveries and six deaths.

Braman has 25 cases, with 23 recoveries and one death. Tonkawa has 378 cases, with 361 recoveries and 15 deaths. Kaw City has no active cases. The state health department does not provide data on coronavirus cases in some of the state’s smallest towns, including Nardin in Kay County.

Earlier this year, the department changed the way it counts coronavirus cases and deaths. The department includes provisional data from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control on its website. Those numbers are higher than the state’s investigated total number of cases.

The department’s investigated numbers show that the state has 461,893 cases of the virus. Of those cases, 3,458 are active. Statewide, 7,417 people have died from it. The CDC’s provisional numbers show that the state has 465,398 cases of the virus and 8,671 deaths. More than 1.5 million Oklahomans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state health department said Monday that more than 1.8 million Oklahomans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Between 30 and 39.9% of the county is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. For more information on vaccinations, visit https://oklahoma.gov/ covid19/vaccine-information/vaccine-faqs.html.