LAWTON – COVID-19 numbers at Comanche County Memorial Hospital and Lawton Public Schools are at their lowest levels since August, but the new Omicron variant has some medical personnel staying vigilant about its potential severity.
CCMH reported 10 COVID-19 patients as of Nov. 29 with all 10 unvaccinated. In August, the hospital reported as many as 66 COVID-19 patients had been admitted for treatment of the deadly virus. Seven of the COVID-19 patients were placed on ventilators, which is a stark contrast to the summer figures when most COVID-19 patients required breathing assistance.
“We don’t know what to expect after the holidays, but we’re happy to see the numbers going down,” said hospital spokeswoman Nicole Jolly. “We’re doing what we have to do to keep numbers low.”
Six COVID-19 patients are being treated in the intensive care unit and all of those patients are unvaccinated, the CCMH report shows.
Hospital and state health department officials are still encouraging age-eligible Oklahomans to receive the vaccine shots and the booster, which are available to people of certain age groups and those with qualifying health conditions.
The new Omicron variant was first reported in South Africa but has spread to several other countries. So far, the variant has not made its way into the United States. But if and when it does, health officials hope to be ready.
Meagan Garibay, infection preventionist at Comanche County Memorial Hospital, said there isn’t enough available information about the Omicron variant to share.
“While there is widespread speculation, the characteristics of the variant (such as if it has increased transmissibility or increased likelihood of vaccine escape) will likely not be known until closer to the new year,” she said.
The hospital’s Incident Command team continues to stay alert to the latest information, research and recommendations regarding COVID-19 and its variants, Garibay said. Policy and procedure decisions are made based on community status, expert guidelines, and current knowledge, with the safety of staff, visitors, and patients as top priorities, she added.
“COVID-19 has and continues to be an everchanging landscape, and we remain ready to confront the challenges this poses,” Garibay said.
Students, staff members
Meanwhile, Lawton Public Schools is showing a marked improvement with students and staff members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have had close contact with a COVID-19 patient. School district figures show only one staff member and four students remain isolated due to a positive COVID-19 test as of Nov. 9, which is the most recent released by the Lawton school district.
At the same time, only four students are in quarantine because of a close contact.
Lawton schools have had 469 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases since Aug. 12 with 74 of the 75 employees recovering from the virus. In addition, the numbers show 390 out of 394 students have recovered as of Nov. 9.
Elgin Public Schools Superintendent Nathaniel Meraz doesn't have any new COVID-19 cases, but the staff remains vigilant.
“We’re always paying attention to what's coming out and trying to glean all the information we can. We're being as informed as possible,” he said.
School officials from Fletcher and Sterling could not be reached for comment.
In Comanche County, 21,403 cases have been reported while 311 people have died from the virus. On the flip side, 67% of age-eligible residents in Comanche County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to www.covidactnow.org.
Statewide, 2,456,478 Oklahomans have received at least one dose of the vaccine while 51% or 2,027,437 people are fully vaccinated, according to figures from the Oklahoma State Health Department. The department’s goal is to fully vaccinate 70% of the state’s total population which is 3.9 million people.