Hospital cases tied to virus drop again
Patients on ventilators at record high; state sees new infections rise by 2,520
Covid-19 hospitalizations in Arkansas continued to decrease Saturday, according to data from the state Department of Health.
The number of people hospitalized with the virus stood at 1,362, 35 fewer than on Friday and nine fewer than the peak in January during the winter surge.
Before Saturday, hospitalizations had exceeded the January peak every day since Aug. 8.
Five of the past seven days have seen decreases in hospitalizations, and 90 fewer Arkansans were in hospitals with covid-19 Saturday than on Aug. 14.
However, Saturday was the third day in a row that set a record for the number of hospitalized patients on ventilators, with two more than Friday for a total of 345. There were 54 fewer people on ventilators Aug. 14, according to Health Department data.
Arkansas had the same number of active, or currently infectious, covid-19 cases Saturday as on Aug. 14, with 25,721.
The number of new cases per day has been rising, with 403 more new cases Satur- day than a week before. The Health Department on Saturday reported 2,520 new cases, for a total of 434,027 since the start of the pandemic.
The death toll from covid-19 rose by 31, to 6,645.
Pulaski County had 244 new cases Saturday, Washington County had 232 and Benton County had 205, according to Health Department data.
“There is not a high enough percentage of Arkansans who are fully vaccinated to mitigate community spread,” Health Department communications director Meg Mirivel said in an email. “We continue to see high numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and Arkansans who need a ventilator. Arkansans can do their part to slow community spread by getting vaccinated and taking other precautions, such as wearing a mask and socially distancing.”
On Saturday, the reported number of vaccine doses administered statewide rose by 15,963, 1,464 more than a week ago and 6,820 more than on Friday.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson commended the increase in vaccinations Saturday in his daily Twitter statement about the latest data.
“Most of these are second doses, which means more Arkansans are on their way to being fully immunized,” Hutchinson said. “Our work to get Arkansans vaccinated cannot stop. Please do your part.”
Little Rock Southwest High School held a vaccination clinic Saturday in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The clinic administered mostly second doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is authorized for children 12 and older, three weeks after giving first doses at the same location.
Students from outside the Little Rock School District were welcome to receive shots at the clinic. Lilia Esquivel of Benton took her 13-year-old son, Emmanuel Vences, to get his second shot Saturday. He attends Benton Junior High School.
The Little Rock School District requires face coverings for students and employees, but masks are optional in the Benton School District.
“A lot of kids [at school] don’t wear masks, and I don’t know if they have already been vaccinated, but to me it’s the better option for [Emmanuel] to have his shots,” Esquivel said.
Taking precautions against covid-19 is especially important to her family because it lost a loved one to the virus a few days ago, she said. The relative had not been vaccinated and was in the hospital for two weeks.
Esquivel said fully vaccinated family members did not fall ill after coming into contact with the relative who had covid-19.
So far, 45.3% of Arkansans 12 and older have been fully vaccinated, according to Health Department data.
“We continue to see high numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and Arkansans who need a ventilator. Arkansans can do their part to slow community spread by getting vaccinated and taking other precautions, such as wearing a mask and socially distancing.”
— Meg Mirivel, Health Department communications director, in an email
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
The state’s five human development centers, which house more than 800 people with developmental and other disabilities, has reported 24 active cases and 112 patients and staff members in quarantine, according to a Department of Human Services report.
“While we are pleased that we have not seen a significant increase in the number of active cases at the Human Development Centers since last week, we know that the delta variant can spread quickly and can cause serious complications among those who are infected,” department spokesman Gavin Lesnick said.
The Conway Human Development Center — the largest of the five, with 518 beds — has the highest infection number at 13 cases, comprising three residents and 10 employees. The facility has 62 people — 58 residents and four employees — under quarantine.
The Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center in Warren, with 100 licensed beds, has five staff member cases.
The Jonesboro facility, with 109 licensed beds, has three cases, all staff members. Three patients and six employees are under quarantine.
The Booneville Human Development Center, which is licensed for 138 residents, has two staff cases. One resident and one staff member are under quarantine.
The Arkadelphia facility, with 125 licensed beds, has one staff member case and 39 residents under quarantine.