Tulsa Health Department is holding a presser for an update. In Tulsa County, 34 percent of covid hospitalizations are people under 50.

Dr. Bruce Dart, the department’s executive director: There’s a lot of misinformation about masks. I’m going to tackle myths.

Myth 1: I feel fine so I don’t need to wear a mask.
It’s false because asymptotic people can spread the virus.

Dart:

Myth 2: Prolonged wear blocks breathing.
False. Oxygen levels remain steady.

Myth 3: Masks only protect others.
False. They protect others as well as the wearer.

Dart: While we’re all focused on covid, we can’t forget routine vaccinations, especially for children. Delayed vaccines could worsen our community health. “The community could be faced with not only ... a pandemic but an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases as well.”

Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum: I’m grateful for the courage the Tulsa city council displayed in adopting a mask mandate. You could see the pendulum swing as they heard from experts, including OSMA and hospital CEOs. “There has been so much misinformation out there.” That testimony helped