All of Oklahoma, including Stephens County, has elevated to a red zone, and many schools in the state have shut down.
All Duncan schools, such as Duncan Middle School, have continued to have school, continuing with a mask mandate the Duncan Board of Education passed before the start of the school year in August. But Duncan isn’t without its coronavirus concerns.
In Stephens County, there have been 1,706 positive COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths. In Oklahoma, there have been more than 199,000 cases and 1,758 deaths resulting from the coronavirus.
Sandra, a nurse at Duncan Regional Hospital, said there are ways people can work against the spread of the virus.
“Keep your mask up in public and wash your hands so Stephens County can get out of the red,” she said. “Stay away from other people and practice social distancing. And the thing that will take for people to wear masks in Oklahoma is a mask mandate.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has declined to implement a statewide mandate, although several communities, including nearby Lawton, have already issued their own mandates. The City of Duncan also has not issued a citywide mandate, despite several health care professionals speaking out during city council meetings.
The Center for Disease Control is currently working on a coronavirus vaccination recommendations for the United States, based on input from the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices, according to the CDC website.
The ACIP is a federal advisory committee made up of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the United States. The committee holds regular meetings that are open to the public and provide an opportunity for public comment.
