Covid cases in region increase nearly 100
Nearly 100 of the more than 1,300 new Covid cases reported across the state on Wednesday are from this region.
The majority of the 95 new cases in this area are in St. Francis and Crittenden counties, where 52 new cases have been reported.
The Arkansas Department of Health’s report shows that since Monday, 24 new cases of the virus have been detected in St. Francis County, with 32 new cases this week in Crittenden County.
Two additional deaths have also been reported in the region. The death toll from the virus in Lee County is now 39, and in Cross County, the death toll increased to 52. The ADH reports seven new cases this week in Lee County and 10 in Cross.
Other counties in the area where Covid cases are increasing include Phillips County, 11; Monroe County, nine and Woodruff County, two.
The ADH report shows that throughout the region, 52 more people have recovered from the virus.
Since Monday’s report, the ADH reports 1,214 additional Covid tests have been performed in this region, with St. Francis and Crittenden counties again leading that pace.
In SFC, 214 tests have been done, bringing the county’s testing total to 34,165 since the pandemic began. Crittenden County has performed an
additional 587 tests for the virus, bringing the total number of tests to 49,001.
The Centers for Disease Control reports the level of community transmission in St. Francis County as being high, while the transmission level in Crittenden County is being reported as moderate.
The number of people hospitalized across the state with the virus increased Wednesday for the 15th day in a row, according to the ADH, which reports 647 people hospitalized with the virus, an increase of 41 from Tuesday.
Johns Hopkins University research data shows the state continues to rank highest in the country in new cases per capita over the past two weeks.
The latest surge has been fueled by the Delta variant of the virus and the state's low vaccination rate.
Only 35% of the state's population has been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Twenty-two percent of the state's hospital beds and 5% of its intensive care unit beds are available, according to the Department of Health. There are 245 Covid-19 patients in the state's ICUs and 103 on ventilators.
The unemployment rate in St. Francis County fell slightly from April to May.
The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services reports the county’s jobless rate in May was 6.8%, down from the 6.9% reported in April.
Labor force numbers, as well as the total numbers of employed residents, fluctuated during this period.
Of the state’s 75 counties, St. Francis County had the eighth highest unemployment rate in May.
The total of employed residents for St. Francis County in April was 7,291, which decreased to 7,276 in May, resulting in the 6.8% jobless rate.
The labor force number for St. Francis County in April was 7,828 which decreased to 7,807 in May, with a total of 531 unemployed residents within the county compared to April, which saw 537 not working.
Lee County, in April, had a 6% unemployment rate, which increased in May to 6.2%.
In April, Lee County reported 2,505 residents were working, which fell to 2,472 employed residents in May. The civilian labor force numbers rose between April and May in Lee County, with the reported number in April being 2,666 and in May being 2,635. The number of unemployed residents saw increased by only two from April to May, when 161 were jobless in April and 163 without jobs in May.
Cross County had an unemployment rate of 5% in April, which fell to 4.9% in May.
In April, the total number of unemployed residents in Cross County was 354. That number decreased to 346 in May. The number of employed residents in Cross County was reportedly 6,709 in April, compared to 6,730 in May. The labor force in Cross County was reported at 7,063 in April, but grew to 7,076 in May.