Hospital leaders say Omicron is taxing emergency rooms, health care staff

OKLAHOMA CITY — Four of the state’s largest hospital systems said Tuesday they have no beds in their intensive care units, no inpatient beds available and their emergency departments were overflowing.

COVID count down, but variant cause for concern

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.

County COVID cases falling

LAWTON – Latest figures from Comanche County Memorial Hospital and Lawton Public Schools indicate the number of COVID-19 cases is dropping. The hospital had 18 COVID-19 patients as of October 19 with 14 of those being unvaccinated.

Oklahoma’s ban on school mask mandates is on hold

Oklahoma’s law preventing schools from mandating masks is temporarily on hold due to a judge’s ruling Wednesday morning.

Red Dirt Resilent: Local restauratuer pushes through Covid

LAWTON – Red Dirt Reloaded Bar & Grill owner Fabian Turner is a hard worker with the Midas touch. He bought his first rental home at age 18, purchased two convenience stores at 30, currently owns Honey Do Construction and at one time owned 60 rental homes in the Lawton area.

Hospital staff shortages forecast as current COVID wave strains workforce

Forty-six states are projected to face hospital staffing shortages in one or more specialties by mid-February as COVID-19 cases continue to surge, according to the Mullan Institute State Hospital Workforce Deficit Estimator.

Study: Response to receiving COVID vaccine is mixed

Only 55% of adults with private health insurance were willing to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 when it is released, according to the most recent Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey.

Statistics related to wearing mask versus not wearing mask

Hard school decisions during COVID

For Shannon Richardson, it was a hard decision. The mother of two children in the Cache Public School District had to choose how best to educate her children for the upcoming school year – and it was not easy.

Elgin Schools adapt to COVID

ELGIN – Plans for the fall semester at Elgin Public Schools include virtual classes and heavy social distancing practices for traditional schooling. In a report posted recently on the Elgin High School Facebook page, plans for opening the 2020-21 school year were announced. Aug.