Here are some Key Notes, Statistics, and Video for Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson’s news update on the COVID-19 pandemic, along with updates and guidance from LaShannon Spencer, CEO of Community Health Centers of Arkansas; Bo Ryall, President & CEO of Arkansas Hospital Association, and Dr. Nate Smith, Secretary of Health.
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- Cases by county
The governor stressed that people need to come forward and get tested. Dr. Smith pointed to the county map as a guide to how many known cases there are but is also urging people to get tested. “As I said yesterday, I’m concerned about the ones who have tested positive, but I’m also concerned about the folks out there who are infected, who we have not yet diagnosed.”
Smith said there are ways to do more testing that identifies those who are at the highest risk, including any new admissions at hospitals, specialty clinics like dialysis centers, emergency departments, and nursing homes where there has not yet been an outbreak. “There’s lots of opportunities for us to do testing in a way that doesn’t just boost our numbers, but is strategic in identifying cases, so that we can stop the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately save lives.”
LaShannon Spencer, CEO of Community Health centers of Arkansas, stated that the centers are committing to 2,000 COVID-19 tests per week. She said that health centers are offering multiple testing sites, drive-thru screenings, and tents. If you don’t have insurance the centers will still test you for free. She stressed that individuals should not neglect paying attention to primary care needs during this time of pandemic. “The health centers are taking every measure to protect people from the virus when they come to the facilities.” They offer telehealth as well. See a list of testing sites at http://www.chc-ar.org/coronavirus-testing-sites or call 833-508-0774.
Bo Ryall, president and CEO of the Arkansas Hospital Association, added to that push, stating, “hospitals have remained open and available to assist with your health care needs if you have been delaying medical care, we encourage you to follow up with your physician and hospital to schedule an appointment.”
Regarding getting tested, Ryall stated, “We encourage anyone experiencing symptoms to visit one of the testing sites made available on the Arkansas Department of Health website and/or to contact your local hospital to determine the testing location and procedure.”
Dr. Smith listed the current statistics for COVID-19 patients below:
97 deaths, up 2
4,236 total cases, up 72
- 1 new corrections case
- 71 new community cases
- 862 active cases
- 295 corrections cases
- 90 nursing home cases
- 477 community cases
- 64 hospitalizations, up 5
- 3277 recovered, up 57
Tests
- 23,949 in May so far (goal is 60,000)
- 73,215 total since March
- 2,278 yesterday, 2.2% positive
13 on a ventilator, up 1
Nursing Homes
- 51 facilities
- 316 residence, up 17
- 176 staff, up 2
Cummins State Prison
- 900 total inmate cases, no change
- 60 total staff cases, no change
Forrest City Federal Prison
- 335 cases, up 3
Randall Williams State Prison
- 48 inmate cases
- 2 staff cases
Demographics
- African Americans are 38.8% of total cases
- African Americans are 38.9% of deaths
- Ages 25-44 are 38.7% of total cases
- Ages 65+ are 15.9% of total cases
- Ages 65+ are 71.6% of deaths
Statistics for Saline County as of the end of the day yesterday were:
Positives 75, up 2
Negatives 2,072, up 59
Recoveries 67, up 2
Deaths 1
The link for case numbers the entire state is: https://adem.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/f533ac8a8b6040e5896b05b47b17a647