Although not confirmed, state health officials suspect the new coronavirus variants have made it to Oklahoma. The new strains are more contagious, but medical experts are hopeful about treatment and vaccines.
Researchers have confirmed the presence of new coronavirus strains in several American states, including Texas. In Oklahoma, officials said the strains, such as the variant from the United Kingdom, are likely here. The state’s laboratories don’t yet have the resources they need to widely test for it.
State Epidemiologist Jared Taylor said the symptoms of the new variants seem to be very similar, which should be a good thing.
"There's obviously a positive to that, right. The successes that we found in terms of treatment and management are going to continue to be successful. We have reason to believe the vaccine is going to continue to be successful."
Oklahoma is in the process of opening a new public health lab, which officials said should help in the effort to better test for new strains.
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