The Arkansas Department of Health reported six new COVID-19 cases in Union County Thursday, bringing the cumulative total of cases identified in the county to 833. Of those, 819 were confirmed cases, determined by positive PCR tests, up five from Wednesday; and 14 were probable cases, determined by positive antigen tests, up one from Wednesday.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are known to be more accurate, which is why positive results are considered “confirmed.” Antigen tests currently available on the market have accuracy rates between 84% and 97% when given within five days of the onset of COVID symptoms; the lower accuracy is why positive results from antigen tests are considered “probable.”
The CDC website says that negative antigen test results have a higher probability of being incorrect, and those who receive negative antigen test results should still follow quarantine or isolation protocols set in place by local health departments.
There were 14 new recoveries reported for Union County Thursday, making 763 local residents considered recovered. Most recoveries were in individuals with confirmed cases of the virus —758 — and five were in local residents with probable cases.
Active cases in Union County dropped to 38 on Thursday, down four from Wednesday and representing 4.6% of all the cases identified locally. Four of the active cases reported Thursday were probable cases and 34 were confirmed cases.
No new local deaths attributable to the virus were reported Thursday. Thirty-one Union County residents have died as a result of the virus.
The ADH reported 14 new negative test results returned from Union County, indicating a one-day local positivity rate of 30% based on the number of new results and cases reported. In all, 8,543 COVID-19 test results have returned from Union County, including 7,710 negatives, indicating an overall local positivity rate of 9.8%.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Arkansas rose to a cumulative total of 73,211 Thursday. There were 883 new confirmed cases reported, making 71,614 confirmed cases in Arkansas; and 109 new probable cases, raising the total number of probable cases in the state 1,597.
There were 65,941 Arkansans who were considered recovered from the virus Thursday. The number of active cases in the state rose to 6,100 Thursday, representing 8.3% of the cumulative cases identified in the state. The total number of active cases Thursday was made up of 5,726 confirmed cases and 374 probable cases.
The deaths of nine Arkansans that were attributable to COVID-19 were reported Thursday, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,166, indicating a state COVID mortality rate of 1.6%. The COVID-related deaths reported in Arkansas include 1,018 people with confirmed cases of the virus and 148 with probable cases.
There were 383 Arkansans hospitalized due to the virus on Thursday, including 206 in intensive care units and 68 on ventilator support. In the Southwest Public Health Region, where Union County is located, 68 people were hospitalized because of COVID-19, including 36 in ICUs and 15 on ventilator support.
The ADH reported 9,656 new COVID-19 test results returned Thursday, made up of 7,910 PCR test results and 1,746 antigen test results, indicating a one-day positivity rate for the state of 10.3% based on the number of new cases and results reported. In all, 864,549 test results have returned, including 791,094 negatives, indicating an overall positivity rate for the state of 8.5%.
At 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reported 6,664,021 COVID-19 cases in the United States. Of those, 2,525,573 were considered recovered, leaving 3,941,001 cases — 59.1% — active nationwide. There had been 197,447 deaths attributable to the virus in the U.S. by Thursday afternoon, indicating a national COVID mortality rate of 3%.
Johns Hopkins reported 29,994,772 COVID-19 cases worldwide Thursday afternoon. Of those, 20,375,450 were considered recovered, leaving 8,676,333 cases — 28.9% — active around the world. There had been 942,989 deaths attributable to the virus by Thursday afternoon, indicating a global COVID mortality rate of 3.1%.