Reports of waitlists for Covid-19 treatment beds in some parts of the state, particularly ICU beds, are beginning to re-emerge as hospitalizations trend upward in the wake of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Numbers released Friday by the Oklahoma State Health Department showed 676 Covid-19 related hospitalizations, including 25 pediatric patients. A total of 203 patients are in intensive care, including 101 in Tulsa.

Northeast Oklahoma has been hit hard in recent weeks, after hospital cases had dropped off from a January peak.

Many hospitals that currently lack sufficient bed space are diverting ambulances from their emergency rooms.

While Oklahoma County has led Tulsa in total confirmed cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic, the last 30 days paint a different picture for Eastern Oklahoma.

Tulsa County has reported 3,508 new cases and seven deaths during that time frame, compared with 1,972 cases and one death in Oklahoma County.

According to OSDH statistics, Kingfisher County has reported 10 new cases in the last 14 days, including one Covid-related death.

A total of 16 confirmed cases still active in the county, which has reported 2,086 total cases and 42 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to OSDH numbers.