OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Officials with the Oklahoma State Department of Health are reporting another major spike in coronavirus cases across the state.

On Wednesday morning, data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health shows that the state has had 11,510 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March. 

That’s an increase of 482 cases over the past 24 hours, or a 4.4% jump.

For the past week, health officials say they have seen a steady incline in cases across the state as more people go out in public and community spread increases.

Recently, a rumor claims that the increase in cases is due to the health department including positive antibody test results into the daily coronavirus case numbers. However, health department officials tell KFOR that is not the case.

“We are not combining antibody test results with the molecular tests. To join the two categories would be confusing and misleading for everyone. We are tracking antibody testing separately,” said Rob Crissinger, manager of communications for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

The cases are in the following counties:

• Adair: 110 (4 deaths) (91 recovered)
• Alfalfa: 1 (1 recovered)
• Atoka: 14 (7 recovered)
• Beaver: 30 (30 recovered)
• Beckham: 11 (7 recovered)
• Blaine: 14 (11 recovered)
• Bryan: 75 (1 death) (50 recovered)
• Caddo: 182 (10 deaths) (165 recovered)
• Canadian: 218 (3 deaths) (156 recovered)
• Carter: 75 (1 death) (57 recovered)
• Cherokee: 68 (1 death) (47 recovered)
• Choctaw: 108 (1 death) (100 recovered)
• Cimarron: 1 ( 1 recovered)
• Cleveland: 735 (40 deaths) (526 recovered)
• Coal: 6 (4 recovered)
• Comanche: 381 (5 deaths) (314 recovered)
• Cotton: 5 (2 deaths) (3 recovered)
• Craig: 18 (17 recovered)
• Creek: 128 (7 deaths) (102 recovered)
• Custer: 51 (42 recovered)
• Delaware: 119 (16 deaths) (93 recovered)
• Dewey: 4 (4 recovered)
• Ellis: 1
• Garfield: 62 (2 deaths) (48 recovered)
• Garvin: 52 (1 death) (24 recovered)
• Grady: 124 (5 deaths) (113 recovered)
• Grant: 2 (2 recovered)
• Greer: 66 (7 deaths) (57 recovered)
• Harper: 1 (1 recovered)
• Haskell: 7 (6 recovered)
• Hughes: 6 (3 recovered)
• Jackson: 33 (3 deaths) (26 recovered)
• Jefferson: 4 (4 recovered)
• Johnston: 10 (6 recovered)
• Kay: 83 (7 deaths) (60 recovered)
• Kingfisher: 21 (12 recovered)
• Kiowa: 6 (1 death) (5 recovered)
• Latimer: 7 (1 deaths) (5 recovered)
• Le Flore: 29 (1 death) (17 recovered)
• Lincoln: 28 (2 deaths) (22 recovered)
• Logan: 35 (1 death) (22 recovered)
• Love: 27 (23 recovered)
• Major: 8 (1 death) (5 recovered)
• Marshall: 25 (16 recovered)
• Mayes: 71 (4 deaths) (46 recovered)
• McClain: 133 (4 deaths) (113 recovered)
• McCurtain: 363 (2 deaths) (142 recovered)
• McIntosh: 43 (1 death) (18 recovered)
• Murray: 14 (12 recovered)
• Muskogee: 102 (9 deaths) (64 recovered)
• Noble: 31 (12 recovered)
• Nowata: 32 (1 death) (24 recovered)
• Okfuskee: 11 (6 recovered)
• Oklahoma: 2,317 (65 deaths) (1,668 recovered)
• Okmulgee: 50 (32 recovered)
• Osage: 155 (8 deaths) (110 recovered)
• *Other: 1
• Ottawa: 43 (2 deaths) (37 recovered)
• Pawnee: 51 (2 deaths) (38 recovered)
• Payne: 294 (1 death) (104 recovered)
• Pittsburg: 51 (3 deaths) (40 recovered)
• Pontotoc: 29 (2 deaths) (19 recovered)
• Pottawatomie: 89 (4 deaths) (64 recovered)
• Pushmataha: 8 (6 recovered)
• Rogers: 142 (5 deaths) (96 recovered)
• Seminole: 35 (3 deaths) (30 recovered)
• Sequoyah: 28 (3 deaths) (18 recovered)
• Stephens: 50 (1 death) (46 recovered)
• Texas: 983 (6 deaths) (966 recovered)
• Tillman: 23 (1 death) (22 recovered)
• Tulsa: 2,742 (66 deaths) (1,619 recovered)
• Wagoner: 223 (18 deaths) (152 recovered)
• Washington: 385 (38 deaths) (319 recovered)
• Washita: 3 (2 recovered)
• Woods: 5 (5 recovered)
• Woodward: 12 (9 recovered).

Officials say one additional person has died, bringing the total to 372 deaths connected to COVID-19.

The latest death was a woman in the 36 to 49-year-old age group in Garfield County.

So far, there have been 1,319 hospitalizations across the state and 268 patients are currently hospitalized.

According to health department data, officials believe 8,144 Oklahomans have recovered from the virus. Although the CDC recommends patients be tested twice to determine if they have recovered, health department officials say they are preserving tests for patients who are sick.

Instead, the Oklahoma State Department of Health identifies a person as recovered if they are currently not hospitalized or deceased and it has been 14 days since the onset of their symptoms or since they were diagnosed.

State officials urge Oklahomans to stay away from ill patients and to frequently wash their hands. Also, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

At this point, Americans are urged to practice ‘social distancing’ by staying in their homes as much as possible and not going out into a crowd.

The virus is mainly spread from person-to-person, and symptoms usually appear two to 14 days after exposure. Officials stress that the most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

If you do become sick, you are asked to stay away from others. If you have been in an area where the coronavirus is known to be spreading or been around a COVID-19 patient and develop symptoms, you are asked to call your doctor ahead of time and warn them that you might have been exposed to the virus. That way, experts say, they have the ability to take extra precautions to protect staff and other patients.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in China late last year and has since spread to locations across the globe, including the United States.

While the full extent of COVID-19 is not known yet, reported illnesses have ranged from extremely mild to severe, some resulting in death. Officials say that 80 to 85 percent of cases of COVID-19 have been mild, similar to a cold or the flu.

Older people and those with underlying health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes are at a greater risk for a serious case.