COVID-19 update
EDITOR’S NOTE: As a service to our readers, The Sentinel-Record will publish the updates being released each weekday by the city of Hot Springs and the state of Arkansas.
The following are COVID-19 stats the Arkansas Department of Health updated Friday afternoon:
• 1,695 confirmed cases statewide, up 75 from Thursday.
• 23,495 test results, up 1,206 from Thursday.
• 7.2% rate of infection, no change from Thursday.
• 543 recoveries, up 45 from Thursday.
• 37 deaths, no change from Thursday.
• 93 cases requiring hospitalization, up eight from Thursday.
• 116 cases in nursing homes, down two from Thursday.
• 228 health care workers infected, up five from Thursday.
• 23 cases on a ventilator, up two from Thursday.
• 107 confirmed cases in Garland County, up two from Thursday.
• 1,420 tests results for Garland County, up 49 from Thursday.
• 7.5% rate of infection for Garland County, down 0.10% from Thursday.
• 50 recoveries in Garland County, up seven from Thursday.
The city of Hot Springs and The Sentinel-Record summarized the state’s Friday update on its response to the coronavirus pandemic as follows:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that May 4 is the target date for the state to begin lifting some of the restrictions that are currently in place based on a report from the Medical Advisory Committee for Post-Peak COVID-19 Response. He said Arkansas is already meeting some of the criteria offered by the White House’s Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, a three-phased approach based on the advice of public health experts. Arkansas is still in an upswing on new cases, and the guidelines require a downward trajectory within a 14-day period.
The state is increasing testing capacity every day, and recently expanded criteria to allow testing of all symptomatic individuals, but Hutchinson said the state still needs to build out its testing capacity. As hospitalizations have remained less than 100, the state remains ready with ample ventilators and general hospital and ICU beds to meet all foreseeable needs, Dr. Nate Smith, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, said.
Smith and Hutchinson both continued to strongly encourage social distancing, with cloth facial coverings in public when distancing is not possible, hand-washing, staying at home when ill and avoiding groups of more than 10.
“To meet the criteria to go into Phase I, we have to be able to manage the spread and continue to reduce that, and we need everyone’s cooperation to follow the guidelines,” Hutchinson said.
With the question of whether Arkansas will take a statewide or county-level approach, Smith indicated that the likely path with be statewide, with respect given to the regional differences across the state.
Possibly even prior to Arkansas entering Phase I of the tiered reopening, Smith suggested that the state will try to start back some of the elective surgical procedures in a safe manner. Since those have been restricted, hospitals and clinics have seen less patients, which equates to decreased revenues and decreased staffing, Smith said.
“To be able to take care of patients with COVID-19 as well as other medical and surgical conditions, we need to have a fully staffed and robust hospitals and other medical facilities,” he said.
The Federal Correctional Institute at Forest City has seven new inmates with COVID-19, for an updated total of 62. Three new inmates at Little Rock Community Corrections account for a new total of 89 cases, including staff. Cummins State Prison had 89 new positive cases, for a new total of 129 cases.