Tulsa Church Mourns First Coronavirus-Related Death

KJRH News ^

[LouAvul]

The first person to die from coronavirus in Oklahoma passed away in Tulsa on Wednesday night. A longtime friend says the man who died was heavily involved with Metro Pentecostal Church.

Pastor Don Martin at Metro Pentecostal in Tulsa says Merle Dry passed away Wednesday night around 8 p.m. Dry was 55 years old, in great health, and was involved with the church for decades, according to Pastor Martin.

Tulsa Health officials confirm this was the city's first community spread case.

The church had already been live streaming services, but as a precaution the church and Dry's family are all in quarantine, Pastor Martin says.

Tulsa Health officials said Dry was confirmed with coronavirus just one day before he passed. Pastor Martin says the symptoms came on quickly.

"All we know is he had a cold. He didn't even go into ER until Sunday because he was having trouble breathing," Pastor Martin said. "And he wasn't diagnosed with the virus until Tuesday, and he passed away the next day, this past Wednesday."

[LouAvul]

I posted this because it's Oklahoma's first fatality due to the virus but also because the victim had no pre-existing conditions. Nor was he a senior citizen.

[dp0622]

That’s gonna happen man but that fact that you think it is noteworthy to post means it’s RARE.

Or it wouldn’t be news.

Thank God for that and prayers out to his family.

[bramps]

Dry was 55 years old, in great health, and was involved with the church for decades, according to Pastor Martin.

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That was his Pastor saying he was in great health, not his doctor.

[palmer]

A little more info: According to a Facebook post by the church, Dry “was in good health as far as we all knew. He was fighting a cold and then he contracted the coronavirus. He was diagnosed on Tuesday and passed away on Wednesday… He was age 55 and Cherokee.”

https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/114350

[cba123]

This happened a week ago.

Before Trump made his announcement about Hydrocychloroquine.

Stay tuned.

I think things will get much better, soon.

[over3Owithabrain]

Shhh this is the new NotFree Republic, where we take every media article at its word and use it to drive everyone into endless panic and a police state

[Socon-Econ]

Hope they do a thorough check of this guy’s medical records because 55 year olds in America are not always in the best of shape, even though they can be busy doing many things. And Pentecostals have a way of not trusting secular medicine. When did he have his last had a physical? Rheumatic fever as a kid? Etc.