No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Union County Wednesday, a welcome respite from an ongoing increase in cases that began several weeks ago.
Union County remained at 162 positive cases of COVID-19 at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health, representing no change from Tuesday. No new deaths were reported, keeping the county steady at six local residents deceased as a result of the virus.
Local recoveries did increase to 103, leaving 53 cases — just under a third of all reported locally — active. The state also reported 900 negative test results received from Union County as of Wednesday evening.
The ADH announced free testing is planned in El Dorado on June 6 at the Union County Fairgrounds. According to information provided by the ADH, anyone who wishes to be tested should attend, regardless of whether they have experienced symptoms of COVID-19; there will be no out-of-pocket costs and insurance is not required.
“Anyone found to be positive for COVID-19 will be notified and provided guidance for isolating to stop the spread of the disease,” the ADH notification reads.
Testing is also ongoing at the Medical Center of South Arkansas — where almost 1,100 physician-ordered tests have been performed to date — and the South Arkansas Medical Association (SAMA) where over 300 tests had been performed as of early last week.
In Arkansas, cases increased to 6,277, up 97 from Tuesday, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson called a good sign when comparing it to large increases seen over the past week. The state saw its largest one-day increase last week with 455 cases detected in the community and those residing in congregate living facilities.
Hospitalizations increased between Tuesday and Wednesday to 108; on April 27, around the time the state’s first peak is estimated to have occurred, 109 people were hospitalized, representing the most hospitalizations Arkansas has seen thus far in the pandemic.
There are still 1,733 cases — 27% of the state’s cumulative number of cases — considered active.
Dr. Nate Smith, ADH Secretary, said the state’s poultry industry continues to be a source of some outbreaks seen in recent days. He said during a health update 301 workers in the poultry industry had tested positive for COVID-19, with 220 of their cases remaining active as of Wednesday.
Hutchinson touted the state’s increased testing, noting that his goal of 60,000 tests performed in May had been surpassed several days ago. The state tested the second-highest number of residents in a single day between Tuesday and Wednesday, with over 4,000 tests performed in that period.
To date, almost 120,000 tests have been performed in Arkansas, according to the ADH, indicating a statewide positivity rate of about 5.3%. Hutchinson has set a goal to test every nursing home resident and worker in the state in June.
One new death had been reported in Arkansas by Wednesday afternoon, bringing the state’s death toll to 120, indicating a state mortality rate of 1.9%. As cases have risen recently at a fast rate while deaths attributable to COVID-19 have increased at a slower pace, the mortality rate has dropped in recent days.
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston announced Wednesday the State Capitol will reopen on June 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. The cafe and giftshop will remain closed, he said, and no guided tours will be scheduled for the time being. The Capitol first closed its doors to the public on March 13, two days after the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Arkansas.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the United States was nearing 1.7 million COVID-19 cases, with the ADH reporting 1,695,776 cases in the country. Of those, 384,902 are considered recovered, leaving 1,310,874 — 77% — still active.
The U.S. also passed a sad milestone Wednesday, topping 100,000 American deaths. As of Wednesday evening, 100,047 Americans had reportedly died as a result of COVID-19, indicating a national mortality rate of 5.89%.
The World Health Organization reported 5,491,678 COVID-19 cases worldwide Wednesday evening, with 349,190 deaths related to COVID-19 having occurred, indicating a global mortality rate of 6.35%.
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