Rural counties ramp up testing

Rural counties ramp up testing

OKLAHOMA.

HAVING MORE TESTSIS REVEALING MORE CASES OFCOVID-19.

THAT HAS RURALHOSPITALS... LOOKING FORWAYS TO CARE FOR PATIENTS...WITHOUT BECOMING OVER-CROWDED.2 WORKS FOR YOU'S CHRISDIMARIA... SHOWS US HOW.MAIN STREETS SHUT DOWN..STORES CLOSED IN TOWNS LIKEWAGONER - AS FAMILIES STAYHOME ACROSS OKLAHOMA.

ANDTHEY SHARE A COMMON CONCERN- WILL I CATCH COVID-19 - ORDO I ALREADY HAVE IT?

UNTILTHIS WEEK - THAT QUESTIONREMAINED UNANSWERED FOR MANYIN RURAL COUNTIES.DOUG WALTON / MUSKOGEECOUNTY COMMUNITY LIASON:"IT'S JUST BEEN THIS WEEKTHAT WE HAVE BEGUN WHAT IWOULD CONSIDER EXTENSIVETESTING." MUSKOGEE COUNTYOFFICIALS SAY 50 TO 100 TESTKITS PER WEEK ARE BECOMINGAVAILABLE IN RURAL COUNTIES- ALLOWING HEALTHDEPARTMENTS TO STARTDRIVE-THROUGH TESTING... ANDTESTING BY APPOINTMENT."EVEN THOUGH THAT'S JUST ASMALL SAMPLE OF THEPOPULATION IN EVEN THOSERURAL COUNTIES, HAVING THOSEWHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHINGWILL STILL GIVE US GOODDATA." THE RESULT -COUNTIES' CONFIRMED CASESINCREASING EVERY DAY, SOMEBY DOUBLE DIGITS.

IN JUSTTWO DAYS, OSAGE ANDWASHINGTON COUNTY'SCONFIRMED CASES ROSE BY 12 -AND WAGONER COUNTY'S ROSE BYEIGHT - TO 65 TOTAL.

OTHERCOUNTIES WITH NUMEROUSCONFIRMED CASES ARE CREEKWITH 53, AND ADAIR WITH 26.DOUG WALTON / MUSKOGEECOUNTY COMMUNITY LIASON:"THAT'S REALLY WHATWE'RE SEEING WITH MOST OFTHE NUMBERS IN THE STATE,LIKE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THEMORE TESTING WE DO THE MOREWE'RE GOING TO FIND." TOHELP RURAL HOSPITALS TREATCOVID-19 PATIENTS, GOVERNORSTITT'S"HOSPITAL SURGE PLAN" WILLUTILIZE 54 TELEHEALTH UNITSACROSS THE STATE.

AND TOKEEP THOSE HOSPITALS FROMOVERCROWDING, COUNTYOFFICIALS URGE STAYING HOMEAND ISOLATING - EVEN AFTER APOSITIVE COVID-19 TEST -UNLESS THE SYMPTOMS BECOMEAN EMERGENCY.

GOING FORWARD,RURAL COUNTIES WILL HAVE TOPLAN OUT THEIR TESTING WEEKBY WEEK - DEPENDING ON HOWMANY TEST KITS THEY WILLGET.DOUG WALTON / MUSKOGEECOUNTY COMMUNITY LIASON:"THE PROBLEM IS WE JUSTCAN'T SCHEDULE ANYTHINGUNTIL WE KNOW WE'VE GOT THETEST KITS AVAILABLE.

THATHAS BEEN THE CONTINUOUSLIMITING FACTOR.

ONCE WEKNOW WE HAVE X AMOUNT IN-HAND, THEN WE SET STUFF UP."TO FIND OUT HOW TO SCHEDULEAN APPOINTMENT TO BE TESTEDWITH YOUR COUNTY'S HEALTHDEPARTMENT, VISITOUR WEBSITE,http://k-j-r-h.com/ CHRISDIMARIA, 2 WORKS FOR YOU.A TULSA COMP