OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma on Saturday reported an additional 901 cases of the coronavirus and 13 more deaths.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health said the number of reported cases is now at 47,798. There have been a total of 657 deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
The true number of cases in Oklahoma is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
The health department said that as of Saturday, there were 7,234 active cases and 39,907 people have recovered.
Meanwhile, 23 members of a sorority house at Oklahoma State University have tested positive for COVID-19, the university said Saturday.
OSU spokeswoman Monica Roberts told The Oklahoman that as of Saturday, only one Pi Beta Phi member had symptoms.
A third-party contractor will disinfect the building and will do so again after the two-week quarantine period.
“This was expected,” Roberts said. “When you bring back 20,000 students, there will invariably be more cases related to campus. We’ve prepared for this for five months and have protocols in place to manage the situation.”
This doubles the number of OSU students who were confirmed to have COVID-19. The university conducted mandatory COVID-19 tests on all students before they moved into their residence halls and found 22 had the virus.
Fall semester classes are scheduled to begin Monday at the university.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
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