Arkansas saw one of its biggest increases in COVID-19 cases yet, with the Arkansas Department of Health announcing 450 new cases Saturday afternoon to bring the state’s cumulative total to 9,101.
Of those, only three new cases were reported in Union County, bringing the local number of cumulative cases to 188. Active cases remained the same as Friday at 27, or 14.3%, with recoveries up three to reach 150. Local deaths remained at 11, according to the ADH, indicating a local mortality rate of 5.85%.
The ADH also reported 126 new negative test results returned locally, indicating a one-day positivity rate of 2.3%; in all, 1,421 local test results have been reported, with 1,233 returning negative, indicating an overall positivity rate of 13.2%.
A free testing event was held Saturday in Union County. About 20 vehicles were waiting in line for testing around noon, when the event was two hours from ending.
The 450 case increase reported Saturday comes a day after Gov. Asa Hutchinson expressed hopefulness that the state’s cases may have been starting to level off again. Friday saw an increase of only 226 new cases, compared to 300-plus new cases on Tuesday and Thursday.
“Hopefully, when you see that flatten out up there, hopefully that will continue,” he said. “That would be a good sign for us.”
Of the state’s total cases, 6,266 are considered recovered, leaving 2,681 — 29.4% — active. Two new deaths were also reported, making 154 Arkansans who have died as a result of COVID—19, indicating a statewide mortality rate of 1.69%.
The ADH reported 5,332 negative test results returning between Friday and Saturday, bringing the state to 156,757 tests performed, with 147,656 returning negative to indicate an overall positivity rate of 5.8% statewide. The one-day positivity rate between Friday and Saturday was 7.78%.
Of the state’s total cases, 21.4% are in prison inmates and 4.1% reside in nursing homes, both congregate living settings, where the virus is known to spread quickly due to close quarters.
Union County’s cumulative cases account for 2% of all of Arkansas’s; local deaths represent 7.1% of all COVID-19 deaths in the state. Union and Lincoln counties, at 11 deaths each, have the third highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Arkansas. Pulaski and Jefferson counties, where Little Rock and Pine Bluff are located, both have seen more COVID-19 deaths.
In the United States, COVID-19 cases broke 1.9 million between Friday and Saturday; at 4 p.m. Saturday, there were reportedly 1,909,077 cumulative cases, an increase of more than 14,000 from about 21 hours earlier. Of those, 491,706, 25%, were considered recovered Saturday afternoon, while 109,497 Americans had died as a result of the virus, indicating a national mortality rate of 5.7%.
Cases in Arkansas account for only .47% of all U.S. cases, while Arkansan deaths represent .15% of all American deaths resulting from COVID-19.
The World Health Organization reported 6,663,304 total cases worldwide by 4 p.m. Saturday; of those, 392,802 have died, indicating a global mortality rate of 5.89%.
U.S. cases represent 28.65% of global COVID-19 cases, while Americans deaths account for 27.87% of all COVID-19 deaths worldwide.