Hospitalizations due to covid-19 in Arkansas reached a new all-time high of 1,030 on Sunday, eclipsing the previous record set last Wednesday by two.
The high level of hospitalizations along with the 1,221 new covid-19 cases reported on Sunday represent "further evidence of a high level of sustained spread all throughout Arkansas in our communities," said Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, the state epidemiologist, in an interview.
According to Department of Health data, there were hundreds of active covid-19 cases in a slew of Arkansas counties as of Sunday – even counties with relatively small populations – indicating that the risk of viral transmission continues to run high across much of the state.
White, Jackson, Garland, Greene and Faulkner counties reported between 400 and 550 active cases on Sunday. The state's most populous counties – Pulaski, Washington, Benton and Sebastian – reported 1,793; 1,314; 1,049; and 667 active cases, respectively.
In Saline County, 671 active cases were reported. Jonesboro's Craighead County reported 761 active cases. With an estimated population of slightly more than 37,400, Boone County in northern Arkansas reported 259 active cases on Sunday.
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Overall, health officials' count of active cases in the state dipped on Sunday by 58, to 16,884.
Dillaha said recent numbers signal to her that "there's a lot of spread going on in all areas of the state." No area of the state "has avoided the community spread that we're seeing," she added.
Of the new cases reported on Sunday, 1,019 were classified as confirmed cases and 202 as probable cases, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
Pulaski County led the state in terms of new cases, with 198, followed by Washington County with 90, Benton County with 80, Saline County with 73 and Craighead County with 61.
The cumulative number of infections reported in the state since the start of the pandemic increased to 156,247 as of Sunday.
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The number of patients on ventilators increased by two, to 185.
Thirty-six of 1,019 new confirmed cases reported on Sunday were from correctional facilities, according to the Department of Health.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Gov. Asa Hutchinson struck a somber tone on Sunday when announcing the latest cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
"I think about the loss to so many families and the stress on our health care workers. We have a lot of work to do between now and Christmas," Hutchinson wrote.
In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Hutchinson said residents of Arkansas are taking the virus "extraordinarily seriously" in recent weeks amid the spike in hospitalizations.
"I think we had a very subdued Thanksgiving," Hutchinson said. "We're very thankful, but at the same time, people understand the risk of large gatherings and the importance of social distancing."
He said the state is trying to take the approach of ensuring guidelines are followed and said officials have increased enforcement efforts.
"We're not trying to shut down businesses that are doing a good job," Hutchinson said. "We still have some limitations in spacing at our restaurants and gyms; those are important to be enforced, but we realize that you can really increase problems across the board if you start shutting down businesses, putting people unemployed as we go into the Christmas season."
Moments later, Hutchinson declined to rule out a shutdown of businesses in response to a question from interviewer Bret Baier, though he suggested the possibility of a shutdown is slim.
"Well, I don't know if you ever say 'never,' but that's the last thing that we want to do," Hutchinson said, calling the idea of a shutdown "fundamentally wrong" in light of the fact that no CARES Act relief would be available to those businesses.
"That money has been allocated; we've tried to help our small businesses, but we're not able to compensate someone for their loss of a job, for their loss of an income and shutting down a business," Hutchinson said.
With the Thanksgiving holiday concluded, Dillaha said she would encourage people to get a covid-19 test if they were in a situation where social distancing was not observed or where people were not wearing face masks.
"The best timing for being tested would be about five to six days after the exposure," she said.
As Christmas and New Year's celebrations approach, Dillaha emphasized the importance of residents staying the course – maintaining social distancing, wearing face masks and avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people.
"Obviously, the pandemic will not be going away between now and New Year's," she noted.
Dillaha encouraged people to celebrate at home this year, and instead use social media, cards or phone calls to stay connected with people far away, "so that we can all celebrate the holidays in a safe way and prevent the spread of covid-19."
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24 ISOLATING IN LRSD
The Little Rock School District reported 24 more individuals in quarantine in recent days, including 13 students at Roberts Elementary, according to the district's covid-19 report covering Thursday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.
One student at Roberts tested positive, the school district reported.
Five new positive virus cases were spread throughout the district, including one staff member at Mann Magnet Middle School, one virtual student at Southwest High School, and one student each at Southwest High School, Roberts Elementary and Central High School.