The disease’s toll on Oklahoma’s elderly has been staggering. Oklahomans age 65 and older make up nearly 80 percent of deaths in the state, the data show.
State officials ordered N95 respirators from a kiteboarding company in California called Wind Over Water Kiteboarding. They found respirators at an industrial hemp company based in Utah, Green Rock Hemp Holdings, LLC..
As Oklahoma scrambled to secure face masks and other life-saving equipment to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, the state issued orders totaling around $80 million to businesses it has refused to disclose to the public.
Deputy Secretary of Health and Mental Health Carter Kimble said although long-term care facilities had always been part of the state’s response to the pandemic, the state didn’t designate a team to focus solely on that area until mid-April.
Infectious disease experts say that reopening even in a tiered approach brings the risk of a resurgence of COVID-19 infections and though the state is seeing a slow but steady downward trend in new cases and hospitalizations, the state must remain diligent.
Some Democrats think it’s too soon to ease restrictions, while many Republicans have increasingly pushed for the governor and his task force to start making moves to reopen the state’s economy. Meanwhile, some medical groups were critical of the plan.
The advocates, led by Oklahoma Disability Law Center, argue the state’s plan is riddled with discriminatory protocols and deprioritizes people with disabilities for life-saving COVID-19 treatment and care.
About one in three COVID-related deaths in Oklahoma have been connected to a long-term care facility, according to the state health department.
