14 deaths raise toll for virus in state

Cases up by 772, agency reports

Fourteen more covid-19 deaths have been reported in Arkansas, raising the total to 535, the state Health Department announced Saturday.

The total reported coronavirus cases in Arkansas climbed to 48,811 Saturday, an increase of 772 over the previous day.

Four of the fatalities occurred in June, four in July and six in August, department spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said.

Of the eight cases from previous months, seven were linked to nursing homes, she said.

Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, the state epidemiologist, said health care providers typically notify the department of covid-19 deaths, though there are sometimes lags in reporting.

In other cases, department officials glean the information from death certificates that are submitted.

Thus far, the most deaths reported in a day has been 20, Mirivel said.

Of the newly reported covid-19 cases, 74 were linked to correctional facilities.

The number of reported hospitalizations fell by 26, to 497. Of those, 117 were on ventilators, up one from the previous day.

Most of the people who have tested positive for the virus — 40,977 — have already recovered. Another 7,299 are still active cases, meaning they continue to battle the infection.

The number of new cases was lower than the 1,011 announced Friday, but higher than the 662 reported the previous Saturday.

After a rise in cases, more recent figures seem to have plateaued.

Dillaha described the numbers as “fairly even.”

“I’m hoping that soon, we’ll start going down,” she said.

Overall, the reported Arkansas covid-19 count increased by 5,638 over the past seven days, an average of 805 per day.

The number of active cases increased by 620 over the past seven days.

The number of recoveries rose by 4,943 during the same period.

The numbers are provi- sional, officials said, noting that the figures are updated as new information arrives.

The battle against covid-19 will be protracted, Dillaha warned.

“It’s not realistic to think this is going to be over in just a few months. … This is something that’s going to be ongoing, and we need to resolve to deal with it,” she said. “It’s really going to take all of us working together.”

The virus has infected people in every corner of the state. All 75 counties had active cases, according to Saturday’s report.

Counties with the most active cases included Pulaski (764); Sebastian (521); Chicot (394); Washington (379); Benton (317) and Mississippi (300).

Washington County, with 6,268 overall cases, leads the state. Pulaski County, the state’s largest county by population, is second with 5,480 cases. Benton County, with 4,755 cases, is third.

Since the start of the pandemic, results from 558,074 tests have been reported in Arkansas. Roughly 91.3% — 509,263 — were negative.

Statewide, 11.4% of the Arkansas cases have been in correctional facilities, while 1.7% have been in nursing homes. Health care workers account for 6.9% of the cases.

Of the 535 deaths, 142 — or 26.5% — have been linked to nursing homes. Another 30 — or 5.6% — have been connected to correctional facilities, according to the Health Department.

Of those testing positive, 52% are male and 48% are female.

As is the case elsewhere, covid-19 is proving particularly devastating in older populations. People 65 and older account for 11% of the cases but 70% of the deaths.

People ages 45-64 account for 27% of the cases and 25% of the deaths.

Those ages 25-44 make up 36% of all cases and 5% of all the deaths, according to the Health Department website. Children age 17 and under account for 12% of the cases, while people 1824 make up 14% of the cases.

No deaths in the state have been reported among those younger than 25.

People falling ill in Arkansas are disproportionately nonwhite.

While whites make up 79% of the state’s population, they account for 56% of the state’s covid-19 cases and 59% of fatalities. Blacks make up 23% of those testing positive and 27% of those who die. The state’s population is 15.7% Black. Two percent of those testing positive are Asian, who make up 1.7% of the state population. They account for 1% of the deaths.

Pacific Islanders represent 5% of those testing positive and 7% of those succumbing to covid-19, state data shows. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders make up 0.4% of the state’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 14% of all Arkansas covid-19 cases and in 6% of the deaths, the race is listed as “other.”

In Arkansas, Hispanics account for 23% of all covid-19 cases and 9% of the deaths. Only 7.8% of the state’s residents are Hispanic, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Many of those testing positive have additional health problems: 11.2% have hypertension; 6.9% have diabetes; 2.4% have heart disease; 2.2% have chronic pulmonary disease; and 0.7% are immunocompromised, according to Health Department data.

Lives are being saved because Arkansans are wearing masks and social distancing, Dillaha said.

It’s important to keep doing so, she said.

“We will get to the other side of this, but it’s not going to be quick,” she said. “We’re going to have to stay focused and maintain our efforts to reduce the spread for as long as it takes.”