Cases of COVID-19 have begun to surge in Oklahoma with 450 new cases recorded on Thursday resulting in a 110% rise across the state. This surge also occurred ahead of President Trump's scheduled rally in Tulsa, where the city saw 82 new cases in the spike.
Before the surge in cases, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt shared his excitement for the president's visit, saying that Oklahoma had been "one of the first states that has safely and measurably reopened.”
"Oklahoma is ready for your visit,” he said. “It’s going to be safe and everyone’s really really excited.”
The World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that over 150,000 new cases were reported to the organization overall as well. Half of the cases were reported from the Americas, while the rest came from South Asia and the Middle East.
"The world is in a new and dangerous phase," Tedros cautioned. "Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies. But the virus is spreading fast, it is still deadly, and most people are still susceptible.”
WHO also urged people to still practice social distancing despite some of the most affected parts of the country starting to slowly reopen in phases.
There is no word yet on whether the Trump campaign team will reschedule their rally this Saturday in Tulsa again following this spike in COVID-19 cases.
