The Arkansas Department of Health reported seven new COVID-19 cases in Union County Monday, bringing the cumulative case total for the county to 313.
Of those, 252 were considered recovered, up six from Sunday. There were 47 active cases in the county Monday, up one from Sunday, and representing 15.01% of the county’s cumulative case total.
According to a congregate living settings report released each week day by the ADH, Courtyard Healthcare and Rehabilitation had reported two new residents’ recoveries by Monday. Courtyard has seen the worst outbreak of any of the county’s congregate living facilities where COVID-19 has been identified, with 35 residents and 22 workers who tested positive in all there. Seven residents died as a result of the virus, but now there remains only one active case in a resident within the facility.
The other congregate settings in Union County where COVID-19 have been identified include Advanced Health and Rehab of Union County, where two worker cases remain active; Timberlane Health and Rehab, where two worker cases remain active after four other workers were deemed positive according to Monday’s congregate settings report; and Community Living Arrangements, where one worker case was reported last week after nine residents and three workers were deemed recovered, according to another congregate settings report from the ADH.
No new local deaths attributable to the virus were reported Monday. Fourteen Union County residents have died as a result of COVID-19.
The ADH reported 43 new negative test results for Union County Monday, indicating a one-day local positivity rate of 14%. In all, 3,857 test results have returned for the county, with 3,544 negatives, indicating an overall local positivity rate of 8.11%.
Arkansas saw an increase of 699 COVID-19 cases reported Monday, bringing the state’s number of cumulative cases to 33,927. Of those, 26,397 were considered recovered, up 545 from Sunday, while 7,167 cases remained active. That’s the highest number of active cases the state has had yet, and active cases represent 21.12% of the state’s cumulative number of cases.
Six Arkansans’ deaths resulting from the virus were reported Monday, bringing the state’s death toll to 363, indicating a state COVID mortality rate of 1.06%. There were 471 Arkansans hospitalized due to COVID-19 on Monday, up 18 from Sunday, and 111 on ventilator support, up six from Sunday.
Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that 10 National Guardsmen would be dispatched to Washington Regional Medical Center, in northwest Arkansas, for 30 days to assist with COVID case management there. He said per capita, the state has the third-highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the southeast.
“We have more in terms of per capita hospitalizations than even some of those larger states, so that shows the potential stress on our hospital capacity and the strain some of our hospital workers will be under,” he said.
He noted that his mask mandate went into effect Monday, and said he hopes Arkansans will abide by it for the sake of their neighbors. The ADH has issued a directive requiring the use of face masks for most Arkansans based on data that shows wearing a face mask can make the respiratory droplets that spread COVID-19 travel less far than they otherwise would.
“I know that most Arkansans want to help their neighbors,” Hutchinson said. “Our individual responsibility can make a big difference for our future.”
Hutchinson also announced that the state had received $8.2 million in CARES (Coronavirus Act, Relief and Economic Security) Act funding for energy assistance. Mitchell Simpson, the director of the Arkansas Energy Office, said the funds would be distributed to low-income Arkansans in need of assistance for their electric bills, with some of the funds going toward an air conditioning program.
The programs will launch on Monday, July 27; for more information, Union County residents can contact the Central Arkansas Development Council (CADC) at 870-864-0067.
Dr. Jose Romero, interim Secretary of the ADH, said 5,689 specimens had been tested for COVID-19 by early Tuesday afternoon, about a third of which were processed at the ADH public health lab; the number of tests processed would indicate a one-day positivity rate of 12.28%.
Since the state began testing for COVID-19, 432,816 tests have been reported, with 398,889 negatives, indicating an overall positivity rate for the state of 7.83%.
“We’d like to have that closer to 5% whenever we make decisions to go back to school and do the other things in society,” Hutchinson, who previously set a goal to test 200,000 Arkansans in July, said. “Reaching 200,000 is going to be a difficult goal to achieve unless the commercial labs kick it up to a higher level in terms of their turnaround time and capacity.
Johns Hopkins University reported 3,823,369 COVID-19 cases in the United States at 7 p.m. Monday. Of those, 1,131,121 were considered recovered at that time Monday evening, leaving 2,551,326 cases — 66.72% — active nationwide. There had been 140,922 deaths attributable to the virus in the U.S. by Monday evening, indicating a COVID mortality rate of 3.68%.
Johns Hopkins reported 14,641,789 COVID-19 cases worldwide Monday evening. Of those, 8,222,979 were considered recovered, leaving 5,810,173 cases — 39.68% — active around the world. There had been 608,637 deaths attributable to the virus by Monday evening, indicating a global COVID mortality rate of 4.15%.