Oklahoma Healthcare Providers See More Patients Get Tested For COVID-19

The number of COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma has tripled in the past two weeks when comparing the seven-day average at the beginning of the month, to now.  

Healthcare providers said they are also seeing a big increase in people coming in to get tested. People are getting tested for several reasons right now, whether it is for travel, or to go back to work, but others are sick.  

At a drive thru testing site in Broken Arrow, healthcare workers said they were testing people for COVID-19 non-stop Monday.  

No appointment is necessary at the Warren Clinic on Elm, and St. Francis said people can get results within 48 hours. The testing site operates from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on weekends.  

At Access Medical Centers' urgent care locations, Dr. Steven Nussbaum said they are busy with testing, too. Across 13 locations Dr. Nussbaum said they are testing about 400 people a day. No appointment is necessary for a test.  

"The demand fell off a little bit for testing. And then it's just taken off again significantly in the last two or three weeks with the Delta variant,” he said.  

In the beginning of July, the seven-day average for COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma was lingering around 200-300 cases. But over the past two weeks the seven-day average has jumped to nearly 1,200, according to state data.  

Dr. Nussbaum said the vast majority of Access Medical patient visits are COVID-related.  

"We've had patients in here just today that test positive and have pneumonia. You know they're sick; they're really sick with this disease,” Dr. Nussbaum said.  

The Tulsa Health Department has partnered with several other providers for testing including Walmart, CVS, Med Express and Morton Comprehensive Health Services. Morton is offering testing and vaccinations on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Morton is accepting walk ins, or patients can call 918-388-1990 to make an appointment. 

"Coronavirus is not going away,” Nussbaum said. “This is going to be here now. We have this. It's how we manage it that's going to matter." 

To see a complete list of the testing locations THD is partnering with, click here.