As of November 4, 2023, Oklahoma has the second-highest COVID-19 death rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since January 1, 2020, Oklahoma’s total deaths per 100,000 from COVID-19 has been 429.9, equating to a death rate of about 0.43%. Oklahoma is preceded only by Mississippi, whose COVID-19 death rate is 433 per 100,000 people, or 0.433%. The national average death rate is 288.5 per 100,000 Americans, or approximately 0.289%.

A low statewide vaccination rate and high rates of chronic illness, which predispose individuals to more severe cases of COVID-19, are responsible for Oklahoma’s high death rate, Oklahoma Health Commissioner Keith Reed told The Oklahoman in 2022.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

SOURCES:

CDC: United States COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths, Emergency Department (ED) Visits, and Test Positivity by Geographic Area

NPR: This is how many lives could have been saved with COVID vaccinations in each state

Public Radio Tulsa: A new study finds Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of vaccine-preventable COVID deaths in the country

The Oklahoman: Is Oklahoma really No. 1 in 2021 COVID-19 deaths? Breaking down the state’s death rate

Oklahoma Watch is a partner of Gigafact—an initiative focused on countering misinformation and spreading facts.

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