County’s Covid transmission level lowered to substantial

The Centers for Disease Control has lowered St. Francis County’s Covid transmission level from high to substantial.

In this seven-county region of the state, the transmission level for the virus has been lowered to substantial in Phillips County, while it is considered moderate in Monroe County.

The CDC reports transmission levels continue to be considered high in the four remaining counties in this region – Lee, Cross, Crittenden and Woodruff.

According to the CDC, the transmission level is calculated based on the number of new cases and the percentage of positive tests over the past seven days.

In early August, the CDC reported a high transmission rate for all counties in Arkansas. That map now shows about 13 counties with moderate transmission rates and 22 counties with substantial.

In October, the ADH reported an additional 77 Covid deaths in the region, but many of those were added through a “data cleanup” the agency processed earlier in the month.

In August, the region had 41 additional deaths, and 42 were added in September.

To date, 475 Covid deaths have been reported in the region since the pandemic began, with 67 of those being St. Francis Countians.

The number of virus cases appears to be declining throughout the region as the percentages of those being partially and fully vaccinated increase in each of the region’s counties.

Last month, 167 new virus cases were diagnosed in SFC, according to the ADH. In September, 396 new cases were reported in the county, which was a slight increase over the 386 new cases in August.

The CDC reports that 51.6% of St. Francis County residents are partially vaccinated, with 44.8% fully vaccinated.

Lee County continues to have the lowest number of eligible residents vaccinated against the virus. In that county, 36.4% have received one dose of a vaccine, while 29.7% are fully vaccinated.

To date, that county has lost 49 residents to the virus, an increase of four deaths over the past month. Lee County’s cases increased by 107 in October, bringing the total number of virus cases in that county since the pandemic’s beginning to 2,144.