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More than 10,000 people across Oklahoma have died due to COVID-19. The Oklahoma State Department of Health also reports that there are more than 15,000 active COVID-19 cases and 1,200 Oklahomans hospitalized due to the virus. Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Lance Frye had this to say on the grim news:

“This count represents the lives of our friends, neighbors and loved ones and any number of deaths will always be too many. We have the tools in our hand right now to prevent further loss of life. As more transmissible variants emerge, we urge Oklahomans to remain vigilant about protecting themselves from this deadly virus.”

The State Department has announced they are changing the way they report COVID deaths. This is being done to show a more timely picture of the disease’s impact in Oklahoma. Officials will now include the provisional death count provided by the CDC in the daily updates.