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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – As officials with the Oklahoma State Department of Health announced that the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in the state jumped to 17, health experts say there is no way to know exactly how far the virus has spread.

On Tuesday morning, data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health shows that the state currently has 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

So far, positive test results have been confirmed in the following counties:

Canadian = 2

Cleveland= 1

Jackson= 1

Kay = 2

Oklahoma = 6

Pawnee = 1

Payne = 1

Tulsa = 3.

According to health department data, the patients range in age from 20-years-old to 69-years-old. However, nine of the confirmed cases are 50-years-old or older.

At this point, officials are still waiting on test results for at least 82 patients.

“We’re not surprised. We’re prepared for this. As you’ve heard, that data already lags several days and the actual number of cases is higher than that because of what we discussed in lack of testing,” said Jason Sanders, M.D., OU Health Sciences Center Senior Vice President and Provost.

As the new data was released, officials with OU Medicine were holding a news conference about COVID-19.

They say although the numbers seem low, there is no way to know exactly how many Oklahomans have been infected by the virus.

“People are generally very terrible at assessing their own risk,” said Aaron Wendelboe, Ph.D., Epidemiologist, OU Hudson College of Public Health. “With regard to this epidemic, people may be tempted to think that this situation here is not that bad, only to realize that those numbers reflect, essentially, five to seven days out of date because the reported cases are just that. They’re reported and they’re known. They’re not the time they’re diagnosed, they’re not the time that their transmission was happening. All of that was happening days before and so people have a tendency to look at the numbers today and think that that’s their risk today. But it doesn’t reflect what is actually happening in the community right now.”

KFOR asked Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Gary Cox about the number of tests the state currently has.

Cox says that although the state only has had 350 test kits, they are working to get more.

“We order the maximum amount of test kits every day,” Cox said. However, he says there has been an issue when it comes to manufacturing enough of the kits to go around to all of the states.

He says that he expects to receive more tests soon.

In light of those facts, health experts say the number of positive test results in Oklahoma can be deceiving.

“Understand that 80 percent of people have mild symptoms and children have virtually no symptoms but are carrying the virus and can spread it. So this is a circumstance where that piece of news is deceptive and we need to be aware, particularly in the face of the fact that we have very limited testing capability, that we don’t really know how widespread this is right now,”

said Morris Gessouroun, MD, Chair of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital. “And I think we have a social responsibility to each other. No one wants to be the person who goes out to socialize in a crowded area and then potentially be in contact with a high-risk person and transmit that to them and affect their lives. It’s really, really important for us to be socially conscious.”

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

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 in December 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.