Governor touts revenue report

Revenue the state collected last month exceeded September 2020 collections by $98.5 million, an increase Gov. Asa Hutchinson said justified his decision to keep the economy open during the pandemic.

The $690.5 million collected last month beat the state’s revenue forecast by $162.7 million, the governor’s office said.

“We have exceeded revenue forecasts for 31 consecutive months now,” Hutchinson said Monday in a news release. “This affirms that our economy continues to improve as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and that our decision to keep the economy open for business was important for our families and protected worker’s income. The surplus trend line puts Arkansas in good position to have another gradual reduction in the income tax rates.”

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health projected the state’s COVID-19 deaths will surpass 8,000 by Saturday, a 3% increase from the number reported Monday.

“The current pandemic appears to be on the downside of an exponential growth curve, and will likely continue to decline until it finds a steady-state similar to April and May of 2021,” the college said in a report it issued Friday. “The real question now is: will the pandemic behave in a wave fashion with repeated surges and declines, with each surge having a smaller crest or simply reach a low point and remain there.”

As a service to our readers, The Sentinel-Record publishes updates released by the city of Hot Springs and the state of Arkansas.

The Arkansas Department of Health is no longer reporting confirmed and probable cases separately. The following stats were posted Monday on the Health Department’s website:

• 498,257 cumulative cases, up 195 from Sunday.

• 733.86 rolling seven-day average of new cases, down 39.28 from Sunday.

• 3,944,385 PCR test reports, up 2,235 from Sunday.

• 9.3% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Sunday.

• 8,535 active cases, down 1,008 from Sunday.

• 2,258 active juvenile cases, down 319 from Sunday.

• 481,843 recoveries, down 1,191 from Sunday.

• 3,830,690 vaccine doses received, no change from Sunday.

• 2,938,074 doses given, up 2,436 from Sunday.

• 669 hospitalizations, down 20 from Sunday.

• 192 cases on ventilators, down 14 from Sunday.

• 311 ICU patients, down 30 from Sunday.

• 7,752 deaths, up 12 from Sunday.

• 2,210 nursing home deaths, no change from Sunday.

• 15,656 cumulative cases in Garland County, up two from Sunday.

• 16.71 rolling seven-day average of new cases, down 1.86 from Sunday.

• 155,829 PCR and antigen test reports, up 25 from Sunday.

• 10.3% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Sunday.

• 187 active cases in Garland County, down 45 from Sunday.

• 15,095 recoveries in Garland County, up 45 from Sunday.

• 374 deaths, up two from Sunday.