The Arkansas Department of Health reported 2,876 COVID-19 cases in Union County Thursday, an increase of 27 cases since Wednesday. The cases in the county Thursday included 25 new confirmed cases, 2,240 in total, and two new probable cases, 636 in all.
The United States Centers for Disease Control considers positive results from PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests to be confirmed cases and positive results from antigen (rapid) tests to be probable cases.
The number of active cases in the county dropped by 18 Thursday to reach 243; they represented 8.4% of all the cases identified locally and included 198 confirmed cases and 45 probable cases. There were 2,554 Union County residents considered recovered from the virus Thursday, up 45 from Wednesday.
A report on COVID cases in educational institutions produced by the ADH on Thursday showed active cases remained in the El Dorado and Smackover-Norphlet school districts and South Arkansas Community College.
According to the report, as of Thursday, 19 active cases had been reported in the ESD, up five from the number reported there on Jan. 11. A total of 207 cases have been identified in the district as of Thursday, including 74 in staff and faculty and 128 in students. Eight cases were active in the SNSD, no change from Jan. 11. In all, 75 cases have been reported in the district, including 20 in staff and faculty and 52 in students.
Nine active cases were reported for SouthArk, where 64 cases, including eight in staff and faculty and 34 in students, have been identified, according to the report.
No new local deaths attributable to COVID-19 were reported Thursday. Seventy-nine Union County residents have died as a result of the virus. There were 227 people hospitalized Thursday due to the virus in the Southwest hospital region of Arkansas, where Union County is located, including 82 in intensive care units and 33 on ventilator support.
The ADH reported 83 new negative test results returned from Union County Thursday. In all, 23,560 COVID-19 test results have returned from Union County, including 20,684 negatives, indicating an overall local positivity rate of 12.2%.
The cumulative total of COVID-19 cases in Arkansas grew by 2,491 Thursday to reach 264,511. The cases in the state included 214,199 confirmed cases, up 1,735 from Wednesday, and 50,312 probable cases, up 756 from Wednesday.
There were 355 fewer active cases in the state Thursday than there were Wednesday, 24,740 in all; they represented 9.4% of all the cases identified in Arkansas and included 17,357 confirmed cases and 7,383 probable cases. There were 235,513 Arkansans considered recovered from the virus Thursday, up 2,804 from Wednesday.
The deaths of 42 Arkansans that resulted from COVID-19 infections were reported Thursday, bringing the state’s death toll to 4,228, indicating a state COVID mortality rate of 1.6%. There were 1,295 Arkansans hospitalized due to the virus Thursday, including 426 in ICUs and 241 on ventilator support.
The ADH reported 15,455 new COVID-19 test results returned Thursday and 175,690 tests performed so far in January. Since the state began testing for the virus, 2,536,680 results have returned to the ADH, including 2,263,174 negatives, indicating an overall positivity rate for the state of 10.4%.
Since Dec. 14, 324,400 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines have been allocated to Arkansas and 116,772 have been given, according to the ADH.
At 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reported 23,215,680 COVID-19 cases in the United States. Data wasn’t available then on the number of U.S. residents considered recovered from the virus or the number of active cases in the country. By Thursday afternoon, 386,996 deaths attributable to the virus had been reported in the U.S., indicating a national COVID mortality rate of 1.7%.
Johns Hopkins reported 92,770,898 COVID-19 cases worldwide Thursday afternoon. There were 51,186,450 people considered recovered from the virus then, leaving 39,598,050 cases — 42.7% — active around the world. There had been 1,986,398 deaths attributable to the virus reported by Thursday afternoon, indicating a global COVID mortality rate of 2.1%.