There were 31 new COVID-19 cases reported in Union County by the Arkansas Department of Health Tuesday, making 2,319 total cases identified locally. The cases in the county included 1,772 confirmed cases, up 16 from Monday, and 547 probable cases, up 15 from Monday.
Confirmed cases are determined by positive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, while probable cases are determined by positive antigen tests, per distinctions made by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Active cases fell again Tuesday, dropping 12 to reach 249; they represented 10.7% of all the cases identified locally and included 167 confirmed cases and 82 probable cases. There were 1,997 Union County residents considered recovered from the virus Tuesday, up 43 from Monday.
No new local deaths attributable to COVID-19 were reported Tuesday. Seventy-three Union County residents have died as a result of the virus. In the Southwest hospital region of the state, where the county sits, there were 192 people hospitalized due to the virus Tuesday, including 66 in intensive care units and 29 on ventilator support.
The ADH reported 123 new negative test results returned from Union County Tuesday, indicating a one-day local positivity rate of 20.1% based on the number of new cases and results reported. In all, 20,352 COVID-19 test results have returned from Union County, including 18,033 negatives, indicating an overall local positivity rate of 11.4%.
Arkansas added 2,718 new COVID-19 cases to its total Tuesday, making 219,246 cases identified in the state. The cases in Arkansas Tuesday included 182,627 confirmed cases, up 1,149 from Monday, and 36,619 probable cases, up 1,269 from Monday.
“There’s not any good news at all in this report today,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said about the new cases in the state Tuesday during his weekly COVID-19 update.
Hutchinson dedicated most of Tuesday’s press conference to updates on COVID vaccine distribution efforts and discussion on the number of people hospitalized due to the virus. Hospitalizations statewide hit another new high Tuesday, and he said only 5% of ICU beds in the state were available.
“We went through Thanksgiving and what we’ve seen right now is the surge in cases from Thanksgiving,” he said. “I know that the vast majority of Arkansans really took extra steps to be careful over Thanksgiving, but even with that, we see an increase, since Thanksgiving, a one-third increase in daily new cases … if you look at hospitalizations, that has increased by 10% since Thanksgiving.”
He said 21% of hospital beds in Arkansas were available Tuesday afternoon, and the state still had 60% of its ventilators available. He highlighted the state’s new “COVID comm” system, which allows hospitals to more easily plan COVID patient transfers.
The ADH’s Dr. Jerrilyn Jones has led the implementation of the COVID comm system, and on Tuesday reported on its performance in the two weeks it has been on-line. She said 277 cases have been submitted for 122 patients, about half of whom have been able to be transferred. The COVID comm system’s cases are calls made to inquire about transfers, she explained. In total, 64 people have been transferred to hospitals with capacity for them; others who have not yet been transferred, however, are on waiting lists.
“The problem is that this is a global pandemic. It is affecting Earth; it is also affecting our state, it is affecting neighboring states, and so what we need to do is to make sure we’re doing all those things to adhere to the public health guidelines and to avoid getting the disease, because that’s going to be the best way to avoid being hospitalized due to the disease and needing to be transferred to another facility,” Jones said.
Vaccination efforts are ongoing, Hutchinson said, with 48.2% of the doses of the Pfizer vaccine that have thus far been delivered to Arkansas having been administered already. Hutchinson noted that the doses of the Pfizer vaccine that the state has received have been allocated to health care workers, including EMTs.
As of Tuesday morning, the state has also received 31,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which have been allocated to long term care facility workers and residents. Hutchinson said only 1,680 doses of that vaccine had been administered as of Tuesday.
“I expect that pace to pick up considerably in the coming days, but I am not satisfied with the pace of the vaccination,” Hutchinson said. “I am asking our large retail pharmacies and all of our pharmacies to really understand what’s at stake here to help us to get this vaccine administered as quickly as possible, because lives are at stake. I know there’s been unique challenges, but we have a job to do. We have to get this vaccine as it’s received administered because that’s what will change the tide.”
Rachel Bunch, executive director of the Arkansas Health Care Association, said the Moderna vaccines have been distributed to pharmacies starting last week. She explained that vaccinating long term care facility residents requires a lengthy consent process that can involve both the resident and their family. However, such facilities are beginning to hold on-site vaccination clinics, and she said she believes the over 300 long term care facilities in the state will have all held clinics before January is over.
“By the middle of January — January 16 is the date that I was given by our federal partners — that every facility would have been offered a clinic by that date. We’ll continue to work with the governor and the health department as we’re able to offer more of these at the facilities,” Bunch said.
Hutchinson noted that he believes the COVID vaccines are a light at the end of the tunnel for Arkansans.
“That is the hope that we all have is that our vaccine is going to be out there, is going to turn the tide on this,” he said.
Dr. Jose Romero, ADH secretary, urged Arkansans to observe public health guidance regarding COVID-19 during the New Year’s holiday. He said he and his family will not be celebrating outside of the home, and that he hopes other Arkansans will follow their example.
“We are entering into a holiday that is quite festive…. I am asking you to reconsider the idea of getting together in a large group. I think if you’re going to have this type of reunion, it should be a nuclear family reunion — that is, individuals in your household, and avoiding bringing other individuals into your home,” he said. “Have a prosperous and happy new year in your home.”
Romero also reminded Arkansans of the three W’s to help stop the spread of the virus: washing one’s hands, watching one’s distance and wearing a mask.
Hutchinson also highlighted a recent COVID relief package signed by President Donald Trump, which, in addition to direct stimulus payments to Americans and an extension on unemployment benefits, will also provide about $800 million in funding to schools in Arkansas, along with other money.
Active cases in Arkansas rose to 21,181, up 350 from Monday; they represented 9.7% of all the cases in the state and included 15,158 confirmed cases and 6,023 probable cases. There were 194,436 Arkansans considered recovered from the virus Tuesday, up 2,302 from Monday.
More deaths caused by COVID-19 were reported Tuesday than have been in a single day since the first case was discovered in March. The ADH reported the deaths of 66 Arkansans that were a result of the virus, bringing the state’s death toll to 3,603, indicating a state COVID mortality rate of 1.6%. There were 1,161 Arkansans hospitalized due to the virus Tuesday, including 382 in ICUs and 198 on ventilator support.
The ADH reported 11,764 new COVID-19 test results returned Tuesday, including 5,307 PCR results and 6,457 antigen results; Hutchinson noted that it was the first time more antigen test results had returned than PCR results. The one-day positivity rate for the state was 23.1% based on the number of new cases and results reported. Since the state began testing for the virus, 2,257,295 results have returned to the ADH, including 2,030,824 negatives, indicating an overall positivity rate for the state of 9.7%.
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, Johns Hopkins University reported 19,468,771 COVID-19 cases in the United States. Data wasn’t available on the number of U.S. residents considered recovered from the virus or the number of active cases in the U.S. By Tuesday afternoon, 337,210 deaths attributable to the virus had been reported in the U.S., indicating a national COVID mortality rate of 1.7%.
Johns Hopkins reported 81,767,775 COVID-19 cases worldwide Tuesday afternoon. There were 46,222,378 people considered recovered from the virus, leaving 33,761,018 cases — 41.3% — active around the world. There had been 1,784,379 deaths attributable to the virus reported by Tuesday afternoon, indicating a global COVID mortality rate of 2.2%.