Oklahoma's skyrocketing coronavirus infection rate has this epidemiologist begging people to skip Trump's rally


Oklahoma is leading the nation in new coronavirus infection rates — and President Trump hasn't even had his Tulsa rally yet.
Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and public health scientist at Harvard University, shared analysis Thursday from his team of researchers that showed how much each state's coronavirus infection rate had grown in the past week. Oklahoma topped the list of states with the largest increase in the rate of new cases, up 111 percent — more than double — from the week before. Feigl-Ding described the rate growth as "exponential and meteoric," and then warn Oklahomans against attending Trump's campaign rally this weekend.
Trump is set to appear at the BOK Center on Saturday, which holds close to 20,000 people. The facility released a statement Thursday spelling out what it would do to prevent virus spread during the rally, including handing out masks to everyone who attends, and asked the Trump campaign to share its own health and safety plan.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But given that Trump has tried to claim the coronavirus is "dying out" and resisted wearing a mask himself, it seems unlikely he will implore his fans to listen to the BOK Center's suggestions.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot