Monday COVID Update: Dr. Smith addressed rumors about whether masks work

Number of New Positive Cases for COVID-19 by County of Residence, July 11-13, 2020 (More graphs and video below.)

Thanks to Ken Yang for this report:

Arkansas COVID-19 Update for MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020. Please Continue Being Safe and Practicing Social Distancing.

There are currently 28,939 cases (up 572, up 1,061 Saturday, up 503 Sunday)
• 3 out of 572 in correctional facilities
• 6,510 active cases (127 nursing homes, 958 correctional facilities, 5,425 community)
• Of the 572 cases: 77 in Pulaski Co, 53 Washington Co, 40 Sebastian Co, 25 Pope Co, 23 Benton and Mississippi Co, 22 Crittenden Co, 20 Craighead and Jefferson Co
439 hospitalized (up 19)
323 deaths (up 2)
89 on ventilators (up 7)
22,106 recovered (up 515)
5,254 tests yesterday
• 7.5% overall positivity rate
• Find a testing location at AR.gov/COVID

Governor Hutchinson and Secretary Smith made these announcements today:

1. Arkansas currently has adequate hospital capacity.

2. Mask are for source control – it controls your own respiratory droplets and catches them so they do not become aerosolized and potentially infect others

Governor Hutchinson stated, “Masks is the one tool that we have to reduce the spread of the virus, to be able to give ourselves the ability to be out and move in public without spreading the virus.”

Dr. Smith addressed rumors about whether masks work, particularly the surgical masks that say on the box, “Does not prevent against COVID-19.” He said the reason that is printed on the box is because the purpose of the mask is to protect others from the wearer’s respiratory droplets, not the other way around.

“Surgical masks or cloth masks are designed for source control. A surgeon wears their mask to keep from getting their germs into your surgical wound, and they work very well for that. If everyone is wearing a mask, we’re keeping our respiratory secretions to ourselves, preventing them from becoming airborne.”

Smith continued, “They are not designed to protect the wearer, because they are not sealed like an N-95. That’s why it says on the packaging that it doesn’t protect against COVID-19. Although, more recent evidence suggested it does offer some level of protection. But they’re really designed for source control. If we can get everyone to wear those masks, then we are all protected because we can keep those respiratory droplets to ourselves.”

Updated graphs/images: