County’s curve continues post-Thanksgiving rise

Garland County’s infection curve rose for the seventh time in eight days Wednesday, reaching its highest point in more than two months.

The county’s rolling seven-day average has almost tripled since Thanksgiving, and the 10 deaths reported this month are more than triple the number reported in November.

The state’s infection curve rose for the first time in more than a week, with new cases reaching triple digits for the first time since Friday.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the growing prevalence of rapid home testing has made new infections a less effective metric for measuring the spread of the virus. Those results aren’t reported to the Arkansas Department of Health.

“It’s hard to measure simply by the new cases,” he said Tuesday at his weekly press briefing. “We have home testing. We don’t have all of the data points in terms of the new cases that are out there. The most accurate measuring stick is the hospitalizations. That’s what we watch very carefully. It’s manageable now. If we can keep our cases down, it should continue to be manageable.”

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 Wednesday on the Health Department’s website:

• 540,510 cumulative cases, up 1,027 from Tuesday.

• 722.86 rolling seven-day average of new cases, up 23.86 from Tuesday.

• 4,319,696 PCR test reports, up 6,596 from Tuesday.

• 9.1% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Tuesday.

• 7,478 active cases, up 155 from Tuesday.

• 523,967 recoveries, up 851 from Tuesday.

• 4,467,650 vaccine doses received, up 3,810 from Tuesday.

• 3,577,596 doses given, up 10,022 from Tuesday.

• 517 hospitalizations, down one from Tuesday.

• 99 cases on ventilators, down three from Tuesday.

• 200 ICU patients, no change from Tuesday.

• 8,901 deaths, up 21 from Tuesday.

• 2,283 nursing home deaths, no change from Tuesday.

• 16,370 cumulative cases in Garland County, up 17 from Tuesday.

• 17.86 rolling seven-day average of new cases, up 1.43 from Tuesday.

• 168,461 PCR and antigen test reports, up 182 from Tuesday.

• 10.1% cumulative PCR infection rate,

• 136 active cases in Garland County, up 10 from Tuesday.

• 15,825 recoveries, up six from Tuesday.

• 409 deaths, up one from Tuesday.