COVID-19 update
EDITOR’S NOTE: As a service to our readers, The Sentinel-Record publishes updates released by the city of Hot Springs and the state of Arkansas.
The following stats were posted Monday on the Arkansas Department of Health website:
• 83,698 cumulative confirmed cases, up 392 from Sunday.
• 596.71 rolling seven- day average of new confirmed cases, down 56.29 from Sunday.
• 1,079,144 PCR test reports, up 6,801 from Sunday.
• 7.8% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Sunday.
• 3,732 cumulative probable cases, up 25 from Sunday.
• 18.7% cumulative antigen infection rate, down from
30.3% Friday.
• 6,922 confirmed and probable active cases, down
300 from Sunday.
• 524 hospitalizations, up 13 from Sunday.
• 1,299 confirmed deaths, up 21 from Sunday.
• 148 probable deaths, up one from Sunday.
• 93 cases on a ventilator, up four from Sunday.
• 1,998 cumulative confirmed cases in Garland County, up nine from Sunday.
• 14.86 rolling seven-day average of new confirmed cases, down 2.43 from Sunday.
• 34,636 PCR and antigen test reports for Garland County, up 173 from Sunday.
• 27,224 private lab reports, up 158 from Sunday.
• 7,412 public lab reports, up 15 from Sunday.
• 5.8% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Sunday.
• 158 active confirmed cases in Garland County, down two from Sunday.
• 1,792 recoveries of confirmed cases in Garland County, up 11 from Sunday.
• 48 confirmed deaths in Garland County, no change from Sunday.
• Five probable deaths in Garland County, no change from Sunday.
The 392 new cases reported Monday were the fewest since Sept. 8, dropping the state’s infection curve to its lowest point in three weeks. Monday’s 596.71 average was more than 20% lower than the previous Monday’s.
The nine new cases reported in Garland County Sunday and Monday lowered its moving average to 14.86, a more than 35% drop from the previous Monday’s and the lowest average in four weeks.
New cases are trending down but hospitalizations rose close to their Aug. 4 peak of 526. The 524 COVID-19 patients in hospitals Monday were a more than 5% increase from the previous Monday. Gov Asa Hutchinson said the increase proceeds from last month’s rise in the infection curve.
“Today we are reminded that more cases lead to increased hospitalizations,” he
said in a statement he released Monday. “The number of hospitalized is too high. While it is manageable, it’s important to slow the spread of this virus to keep people out of the hospital because of COVID-19.”
The list of school districts with five or more active probable and confirmed student and staff cases the Health Department updated Monday reported 15 cases in the Lake Hamilton School District. According to the list, Lake Hamilton was tied for the eighthmost cases in the state.
Hot Springs School District was the only other Garland County district on the list, which reported five active cases in the district. Monday’s list reported 747 active cases in public schools, up from the 698 reported Thursday.
Nineteen active cases were reported Monday at Ouachita Baptist University, down from the 21 reported Thursday. Fourteen were reported at Henderson State University, up from the nine reported Thursday. Sixty- eight were reported at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, down from the 89 reported Thursday.