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YOU CAN KEEP YOURSELF SAFE. ESO FOR THE STATE HAS SENT OUT SEVEN SAMPLES TO THE CDC IN ATLANTA TO BE TESTED FIVE OF THOSE HAVE COME BACK NEGATIVE 2 ARE STILL PENDING BUT NEXT WEEK THE STATE WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THOSE TESTS HERE AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAB IN OKLAHOMA, WHICH WILL TAKE A LOT LESS TIME ESTATE IS TAKING THIS GLOBAL EPIDEMIC SERIOUSLY. SO SERIOUSLY, THE GOVERNOR’S DID SAYS HE’S TALKING WITH AGENCIES ABOUT WHAT THAT EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN. LOOKS LIKE WE OBVIOUSLY WENT THROUGH KIND OF A EXERCISE WITH OUR TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD WHAT WE WOULD ASK CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS AND EVERYTHING TO DO IN CASE THERE WAS A WIDESPREAD OUTBREAK WHERE THAT TO HAPPEN OFFICIALS. SAY THE STATE EXPECTS FEDERAL DOLLARS TO HELP AND STATE WOULD BE ABLE TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. THIS DOES FLARE UP AND WE SEE, YOU KNOW CASES EXPONENTIALLY GROW OR EVEN ONE CASE IN OKLAHOMA. WE WILL START WORKING TOWARDS MAKING SURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS SAFE IN THE MEANTIME THIS STATE SAYING ANYBODY WITH CORONA VIRUS SYMPTOMS LIKE FEVER COUGH AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. AS WELL AS TRAVEL TO AN AREA WITH AN OUTBREAK SHOULD CALL AHEAD TO THEIR DOCTOR BEFORE GOING IN THEN THE DOCTOR CAN SUBMIT A TEST TO THE STATE PUBLIC HEALTH L

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The state’s top public health and elected officials are preparing for the potential spread of the coronavirus in Oklahoma.They say the state is prepared. There are no confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. Seven samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing. Five have come back negative; results on the other two are pending. Starting next week, the state will have the ability to test for coronavirus without having to send samples to the CDC. This will mean a faster turnaround on test results. “The state is taking this global epidemic seriously,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said at a Capitol press conference Thursday.Stitt said he is taking the threat so seriously that he has been talking with state agencies about their response plans. That included his Cabinet. “We obviously went through an exercise with our Cabinet, talking about what we would ask churches and schools and everything to do, in case there was a widespread outbreak,” he said. Stitt said federal funds would help in case an outbreak reaches Oklahoma, and he could declare a state of emergency if necessary. "We're prepared and we have a plan, and if this does flare up and we see cases exponentially grow -- or even one case in Oklahoma -- we will start working towards making sure the public is safe,” he said. Public health officials said anyone with coronavirus-like symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath who have recently traveled to an area with an outbreak should call their doctor before going in. Doctors can submit tests to the state’s public health lab.Simple preventative measures such as handwashing and avoiding touching one’s face won’t work if someone is sick. And surgical masks should be left to health care providers, public health officials said. Hear from Gov. Stitt here in the video below:Hear from health commissioner Gary Cox in the video below:Hear from State Epidemiologist Laurence Burnsed in the video below: