Oklahomans die of COVID at higher rates than much of the US. What set us up for failure?

After more than three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oklahoma finds itself near the top of the list of states with the highest death rates.

CDC data updated as of March 24 shows Oklahoma ranks 14th in the nation for COVID-19 death rates per capita. There have been 15,845 deaths from COVID-19 in Oklahoma, or 400 per 100,000 people.

In terms of cases, Oklahoma currently falls at 22nd in the nation with 1.29 million cases, or 32,696 cases per 100,000 people.

The nation has seen an average of 31,313 cases per 100,000 people, and 338 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. The state with the highest death rate, excluding New York and New York City which report COVID-19 data separately, is Arizona with 455 deaths per 100,000.

COVID-19 in Oklahoma tracker: Weekly updates on new cases, deaths, vaccines

What the experts are saying about Oklahoma's COVID-19 death rate

Dr. Dale Bratzler, the University of Oklahoma's chief COVID officer, said Oklahoma's high death rate is the result of vaccination rates and the prevalence of risk factors for severe COVID-19.

Some physicians and field experts predicted early on that Oklahoma would have a harder time with the virus than other states, according to an April 2020 article from Oklahoma Watch.

"There was a study that the CDC put out fairly early that color-coded counties for underlying risk factors for deaths from COVID," Bratzler said. "Oklahoma had lots of color."

How does Oklahoma compare to the nation? Check out the COVID Data Tracker

David Chansolme, infectious disease physician at INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center, said how Oklahoma fared has nothing to do with Oklahoma's quality of medical care.

"We have fine hospitals, we have fine physicians, we have outstanding nurses," Chansolme said.

Oklahoma was dealing with a "handicap" from the beginning, Chansolme said — the state's residents' "baseline health."

Oklahomans are notoriously unhealthy. How did that affect COVID-19 deaths?

The Oklahoma State Department of Health said in a statement that the state's poor health ranking contributed to some COVID-19 deaths, and is also a reason heart disease and cancer are leading causes of death in Oklahoma.