COVID cases continue to rise statewide

COVID-19 cases continued to increase this week, with more than 2,000 reported statewide between Monday, June 28 and Friday, July 2.

The Arkansas Department of Health chose last week to stop publicly reporting new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, citing new reporting requirements from the United States Centers for Disease Control and changes in how the state plans to track cases of the virus.

Locally, eight new cases of COVID-19 were reported between Monday and Friday, as well as five recoveries and no COVID-related deaths.

From Friday June 25 to Friday July 2, 14 cases were identified in the county and 130 COVID tests were performed, indicating a positivity rate of 10% over seven days.

ADH spokesperson Danyelle McNeill said testing has recently declined statewide and noted that there is a possibility that more cases may be present in the county as the data reflects.

Statewide, 2,359 new cases of COVID-19 were reported between Monday and Friday, and 3,325 cases were reported from June 25 to July 2. The seven-day positivity rate for Arkansas was 8.6%.

Governor Asa Hutchinson, in a weekly update held Tuesday last week, warned the Arkansans as they traveled over the July 4 bank holiday weekend.

“Yes, you are going to travel; yes you are going to the lake; yes you are going to have your barbecue in your backyard and the celebrations – i will join as well – but at the same time if you are not vaccinated and you are going to participate in these activities then please take the responsibility to take care of you. Don’t add to the spread of the virus, ”he said.

It also highlighted the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, nothing more contagious and that those who contracted it saw worse health outcomes than those who contracted the original viral strain.

“Take care of yourself and follow the guidelines, which are really social distancing and wearing a mask if you haven’t been vaccinated,” he said. “Keep in mind that the variant and the virus are very prevalent in Arkansas.”

According to ADH’s most recent variant report, which was produced on June 28, between five and 20 variant cases have been identified in Union County. A total of 505 variant cases have been identified in Arkansas, with the British variant being the most common and the Delta variant being the third most common; However, not all positive tests are sequenced for viral variants, so there could be more cases of variants that went undetected.

Hutchinson noted a bright spot in Arkansas’ trajectory with COVID: The state does best in the SEC when it comes to vaccinating nursing home staff and residents against the virus.

Courtyard Healthcare and Rehabilitation announced this week that more than 75% of its staff have been vaccinated against the virus.

“We are proud to announce that the Courtyard Rehabilitation and Health Center has vaccinated 86% of its staff,” said Rachel Bunch, executive director of the Arkansas Health Care Association, in a press release. “Our teams recognize that getting vaccinated is one of the most effective ways to protect themselves, their residents and their families from COVID-19. We have seen staff working tirelessly day and night to ensure the safety and protection of the state’s most vulnerable people. “

However, Hutchinson noted on Tuesday that only 39% of the state’s total population had been vaccinated against the virus.

As of Friday, in Union County, 26.02% of the county’s population was fully immune and 4.81% partially immune, meaning they had only received one dose of a two-person vaccine. doses. Between June 25 and July 2, 371 doses of vaccine were administered in the county.

Most people currently with COVID-19 have not been immune to the virus, Hutchinson said Tuesday. More than 98% of people hospitalized with COVID since January were not immune and 99.6% of the 988 Arkansans who died since January 26 were not immune.

“Statistics, science tell the story of what needs to be done,” Hutchinson said.

Dr Cam Patterson, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) warned of a potential “third wave” of virus cases this week.

“We are now heading in the wrong direction, again, with COVID-19 infections here in the state of Arkansas,” he said on Tuesday. “If you look at the number of severely compromised patients, patients who need mechanical ventilation, that number has more than tripled in the past eight weeks… and with the July 4th vacation approaching and the children returning to the hospital. school, we have to fear that this is a continuing trend. “

Alexandria Bennett, director of business development for the Medical Center of South Arkansas, said Friday that five COVID patients were being treated at MCSA.

“This is the maximum we’ve had in a long time,” Bennett noted.

Patterson said patients are sicker and younger now than they were a year ago.

“We have had patients in their 20s who required heart / lung bypass surgery to manage their COVID-19 infections,” he said. “The older population can get vaccinated better… The other big factor here, which Governor Hutchinson alluded to, is the Delta variant. We have the first case of the Delta variant identified in Arkansas on May 1; Right now, over 25% of genomic isolates in the state of Arkansas are the Delta variant and my anticipation is that within a week or two, the Delta variant will account for more than half of COVID cases. -19 in the state. “

Patterson said the Delta variant is 70% more contagious than other viral variants, which makes it twice as easy to spread; and that it causes much more serious illness.

“It’s not losing your sense of smell and a bad case of the flu; it happens immediately to the hospital and is put on a ventilator, ”he said.

He stressed the importance of obtaining a vaccine, as well as its safety and effectiveness.

“Compare 300 COVID-19 positive patients in our hospitals versus zero patients in our hospitals due to complications from the vaccine,” Patterson said.

As families celebrate Independence Day today, McNeill recommended that vaccinated and unvaccinated people take COVID-related precautions.

“For those who are not vaccinated, they must wear a mask and practice social distancing. For those who are vaccinated, they should try to avoid crowded spaces where there are unvaccinated people, ”she said.

COVID-19 vaccines are available in Union County and are free to anyone who wants one, whether or not they have health insurance.

Vaccines are available in the county at Melvin’s Discount Pharmacy, Walmart, and the local Union County Health Department. To schedule a vaccination appointment with Melvin, call 870-863-4155; for the local health unit, call 1-800-985-6030; and for Walmart, visit walmart.com/COVID.

“Getting vaccinated is the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your community from COVID-19,” McNeill said.