Thread by @CathJSweeney

Waiting for the latest state-level coronavirus update. OU Health is one of the organization's represented, and here is their link to the live stream.

Gov. Kevin Stitt starts out. He's introducing several hospital executives and leaders. "To all the doctors, the nurses, the therapists, the health care professionals across the state, I want to tell you personally, thank you." We know you're carrying the weight here.

Commissioner of Health Lance Frye: We want to assure the public that the state and hospitals are working on a collaborative pandemic response. "The trends we are seeing are concerning." Slowing the spread will take every Oklahoman working together, doing the right thing.

Frye: "The holidays are coming, and we know people are wanting to celebrate with their friends and family... it's a natural reaction to let our guard down around our families." But we must remember we can spread it without symptoms and give it to people who develop a severe case

Frye: We know a vaccine is coming, availability starting in early December for the most vulnerable and health workers. "It's exciting to know a vaccine is on the way, but it's not an immediate fix."

Stitt: Hospitalizations are on the rise. "I know some of you are worried about that." But I want to assure Oklahomans that hospitals are working together.

Cameron Mantor, chief medical officer at OU Health: Our region is now in tier 3, which means on average, 20 percent of hospital patients are covid. Month over month, death and case counts are up.

Mantor: We see that 20 percent of beds are covid. That might make you ask, doesn't that mean 80 percent are left? "Let's not forget there are many other Oklahomans that need advanced care." OU Health has our state's only level 1 trauma center. We need to be able to treat trauma.

Mantor lists all the actions taken so far to expand work force and capacity, but says that they can't be sustained forever. "If our current rate of infection is not curved, we will run out of beds and staff."

Mantor: In the spring, we successfully shored up capacity by canceling elective procedures. (These are non-emergency surgeries. Think knee replacements, not nose jobs.) "We have since learned this came at a cost." Delayed care harms the health of Oklahomans.

OU Health's Dr. Linda Salinas is giving an update on covid treatment options, including new medications.

Stitt: When we met with the medical community, they asked for help in a couple ways. They want us to reinstate the regional medical response system, or RMRS, a sorting system that we use in natural disasters.

Stitt: They said we need nurses. We instructed the Board of Nurses (licensing org) to remove all red tape that would stymie the work force. Reminder, they've been fighting a shortage for decades. Talked to their director here:
stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2020/…

Stitt: "I toured a covid ward again the other day and spent some time with people who worked in the ICU ... and I'll tell ya those folks are tired... they need our help right now more than ever." The best way to support them is slowing the spread.

Julie Watson, the chief medical officer at Integris: "The science is clear. Wearing a mask, along with other preventative measures... has been proven to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community." I grew up on a farm. "Contributing was a part of life."

Watson: We have seen accusations that the science is being manipulated for political maneuvering. It hasn't. The science is real. Masks work.

Watson: Masks are not political statements or signs of fear. We shouldn't need a mandate to make us do the right thing. We take care of each other. That's the Oklahoma Standard. "Right now, that means wearing a mask."

Watson: "I tell you this in all sincerity, Oklahoma. We are in trouble." Our worst nightmare is having to choose between a patient who was in a car crash patient, or who got a new cancer diagnoses, and one who has covid. "We must prevent the preventable."

Julie Watson: "Our stark reality is that we have a moment to impact this now by making a choice before we have to resort to extreme measures." Wear a mask. It can make all the difference.

Dr. David Chansolme, an infectious disease specialist at Integris, is giving an update on the Pfizer vaccine, which is expected to be available on a limited basis in about a month.

Chansolme: Other than masks and social distancing, we don't have many ways to prevent COVID-19 infections. Vaccines are our best chance to fight this virus.

Stitt: "We want everyone to know, if you or your loved ones get sick, we have the capacity to take care of them." If we need more hospital space, we can always pause elective surgeries in any regions. "I'm ready to issue an executive order any time ... we need more space."

Watson: When you use the word elective, it's something that makes every physician's blood pressure surge. We don't do elective surgeries. Some are just less time-sensitive than others.

Watson: "Patients who come to us with heart disease are as important as those who come to us with covid." When our capacity is gone, we're forced to choose, and it's our worst nightmare.

Stitt: "A lot of this press conference is about doing the right thing." 3Ws. Wash hands, watch distance, wear a mask. "I've been very clear. I don't think that's the right thing to do." Illinois has all these restrictions and their cases per capita are higher.

Fact check on that: It's true. Illinois is ranked 12th for new cases per 100,000. Oklahoma is at 24th, per the White House Coronavirus Task Force report from 11/01 coronavirus.health.ok.gov/sites/g/files/…

Stitt acknowledges that a hold on elective surgeries on hold comes at a cost. Not only to patients. During the last pause, he says, hospitals laid off 600 workers in Tulsa and 1,000 in Oklahoma City.

Stitt: "I believe Oklahomans are going to do the right thing."

Stitt: The Oklahoma Open Records Act exception that allows for virtual meetings expires this month. Between Nov. 15 and February, when the Legislature comes back, "We'll probably have to have regular meetings."

Stitt on the end of CARES funding and its potential effect on surveillance testing: "We're working with the insurance companies and the Trump Administration." We know we have funding through the end of the year. "The state may need to appropriate ... for that."

That's a wrap. Covering Tulsa's update here in half an hour.