As Oklahomans return to a somewhat normal way of life following months of quarantine, COVID-19 cases are surging with a vengeance. Since the state began allowing businesses to reopen and eased their social distancing protocols on May 1, cases have steadily risen, and as of right now, show no signs of slowing down.

While the month of May saw a steady rise in new cases, the first two weeks of June have seen something more akin to a spike. Two-hundred twenty-two new cases were confirmed on June 12, a record which was broken the following day, as June 13 saw 225 new cases confirmed, and then again Monday, June 15, with 228 cases. As of Tuesday, this brings the total number of Oklahomans infected with the COVID-19 virus to 8,645, with Seminole County residents accounting for 31 of those.

Oklahoma is not alone in this trend, as many new hotspots for the virus have begun popping up in states throughout the Southern and Southwestern part of the U.S. These upticks have played a major role in increasing the total number of nationwide new infections by 1% in the second week of June. This was the second increase after five weeks of declining rates.

Officials for the Oklahoma City County Health Department (OCCHD) say the trend has predominately impacted the younger demographic and can mostly be attributed to the reopening of the state. The OCCHD affirms that, while the increase is definitely concerning, they would be far more alarmed if it was being seen in older patients. Despite the current uptick in cases, the State Department of Health does not foresee Oklahoma backtracking on its reopening. Jared Taylor, of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, believes that, while there has without a doubt been, “an uptick in COVID cases throughout the state of Oklahoma,” it is not, “absolutely imperative that we throw a forced stop on the state.”

Since COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates have remained steady, officials are not panicking over the trend, but are keeping their eye on it. However, OCCHD worker LToya Knighten does warn, “If our cases get to a point where they get more severe and people do start experiencing more complications and have to be hospitalized that’s what we will be looking at in making that determination to roll back.”

For now, Oklahoma health officials emphasize the importance of taking personal precaution steps in order to halt this new spike.

“We still need to wear our facemasks,” and “still physically distance ourselves,” advises George Monks, President of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. “We are not out of the woods yet,” stresses Monk, “the virus is still around.”