Northwest Arkansas and the state continued to set records for the number of new covid-19 cases this week as the number of hospitalizations nearly reached the January 2021 peak.
A number of the region's schools pivoted to remote instruction this week because of the increase in cases among students and staff members. Local hospitals also prepared for a surge of patients.
Benton and Washington counties reported 1,342 new cases Friday, down from the records set the previous two days. The two-county area reported 1,715 new cases Wednesday and 2,399 new cases Thursday, according to the Northwest Arkansas Council.
Sebastian and Crawford counties reported 673 new cases, up from 380 a week ago, said Danyelle McNeill, public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Health.
The state as a whole also saw a slight decrease in new cases Friday from the records set earlier in the week. Arkansas reported 10,405 new cases Friday, down from 10,974 new cases Wednesday and 12,990 on Thursday, according to the Department of Health.
Health officials expect cases to peak sometime toward the end of the month, according to Dr. Marti Sharkey, Fayetteville public health officer. The numbers of new cases don't include people who test positive at home or those who have symptoms and can't access testing, she said.
Northwest Arkansas hospitals were caring for 139 covid-19 patients Friday, up from 96 one week earlier, the council reported. The peak during the January 2021 surge was 140 patients; the all-time high was 173 patients in August.
This increase in cases is affecting local hospitals differently than previous surges because the cases tend to be less severe, although doctors are still seeing people in intensive care units and on ventilators, Sharkey said. Hospitals are also experiencing much higher traffic in emergency departments and clinics are getting overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sick patients, she said.
People who are in respiratory distress or who are experiencing trouble breathing should seek emergency care, Sharkey said.
Northwest Arkansas hospitals were caring for 103 people in ICU and 87 on ventilators Friday, including patients with covid-19 and other medical needs, according to the Northwest Arkansas Council. The average age of patients was 46, the youngest was less than 1 and the oldest was 100.
River Valley hospitals were caring for a combined 90 patients, up from 54 a week ago, according to Mardi Taylor, spokeswoman for Mercy Fort Smith, and Alicia Agent, spokeswoman for Baptist Health Fort Smith and Van Buren. The three hospitals reported 28 patients in ICU and nine on ventilators.
A total of 1,309 patients were hospitalized with covid-19 in Arkansas on Friday, up from 933 a week ago, including 367 in ICU and 172 on ventilators, according to the Department of Health.
Hospitals prepare
Mercy, Washington Regional and Northwest Health hospitals have modified their visitor policies in recent weeks in response to the surge.
Mercy hospitals updated visitor policies Jan. 3 to allow only one visitor per patient, according to spokesman Nate Kuester. Pediatric and obstetric patients are limited to two patients, and hospitals will follow regular visitation policies for end-of-life care. Some patients will not be allowed visitors because of the potential for covid-19 complications, he said.
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas is in the process of adding covid beds and staffing in response to a potential increase in hospitalized patients, said David Fortner, vice-president of operation for Northwest Arkansas.
Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville implemented a modified visitor policy Monday to help protect patients, team members and the community, according to Brooke Morgan, marketing manager.
Patients not receiving covid-19 care may have one visitor per day, according to the hospital website. Obstetrics and neonatal intensive care unit patients may have two visitors per day, and visitors for end-of-life care patients will be considered on a case-by-case basis, it states.
Washington Regional is experiencing an increase in hospitalized patients and a surge in demand for covid, flu and strep testing, Morgan said. The health care system is working to adapt and expand services in primary care clinics for patients and minimize wait times, she said.
"We are utilizing our tiered covid-19 surge response plan as needed, which allows us to redirect staff and other resources to areas of highest need to meet community demands," she said.
The health care system has moved to virtual team meetings whenever possible and restricted the size of in-person meetings, Morgan said. It has also increased the use of N95 masks, she said.
Northwest Health, which has five hospitals in Northwest Arkansas, on Thursday began restricting patients to one visitor per day, according to its website. Obstetrics and neonatal intensive care unit patients are allowed two visitors per day and end-of-life care patients may have visitors at the physician's discretion, it states.
Baptist Health hasn't made any recent changes to its visitor policy, according to Kim Miller, region president, Baptist Health Fort Smith and Van Buren. The hospital system evaluates staffing and bed availability daily to prepare for a surge, Miller said.
"We've been diligently adapting to the changes this pandemic has thrown at us for the last two years," she said. "I'm confident in the ability of our physicians and staff members at every level to get through this round, as well."
Schools
At least seven school districts in Northwest Arkansas transitioned to virtual learning for part of this week, including Fayetteville, Rogers, Elkins, Lincoln, Prairie Grove and Greenland.
Springdale School District transitioned four elementary schools and one middle school to online instruction. Springdale and Har-Ber high schools gave families the option of learning at home Thursday and Friday.
Hope Academy of Northwest Arkansas, a charter school in Bentonville with about 50 students in grades K-4, went virtual Thursday and Friday. Arkansas Arts Academy, a K-12 charter school in Rogers, pivoted to remote learning through Jan. 21.
Fayetteville schools have seen a steady increase in cases among students and staff since school resumed Jan. 6, according to public information officer Alan Wilbourn.
When 20% to 25% of students and staff members are absent, it becomes untenable to cover in-person classes, Wilbourn said. Staff covid absences impact every facet of operations, including substitutes, bus drivers and custodians, he said.
The district has learned a lot since spring 2020 when classes went remote for three months, Wilbourn said. Every student in the district has a Chromebook and schools provide hot spots to families without internet at home, he said. Families also were able to pick up meals for their students, he said.
Bentonville Schools, which continued in-person school, said in a letter to parents that officials are carefully monitoring the situation and are prepared to pivot to remote instruction by individual school if there is insufficient staffing to cover classes.
"We know face-to-face instruction is the best instruction," the letter states. "We also know when we go virtual, we see students simply disengage and parents that must leave work."
On Thursday, 277 or 11.5% of the district's 2,407 employees were absent. Lincoln Junior High had a 24.6% absentee rate, the highest in the district, it states.
Rogers School District, which had a remote education day on Friday, is committed to having in-person learning if at all possible, but officials could see schools were reaching a tipping point Thursday with staff absences and a shortage of substitutes, said Ashley Siwiec, communications director. On Wednesday, 2,507 staff and students were absent, she said.
The large number of staff absences, due to quarantines or active cases, disrupts not only classroom instruction but also food service and transportation, she said.
"The decision always hinges on whether we can appropriately and safely transport students to the school and care for them while they are there," Siwiec said. "In this case, it also helped that we could pair this remote learning day with a scheduled vacation day on Monday to give our staff time to recover or finish their quarantines, so they could return to work."
Testing
Twenty Arkansas National Guard members are in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley for the next month to help local hospitals increase covid-19 testing capabilities.
Six soldiers are assisting with testing efforts at Washington Regional's drive-through testing clinic in Fayetteville, Morgan said. The additional support has allowed the clinic to test community members more efficiently and communicate results more quickly, she said.
It has also allowed Washington Regional to use testing center staff for patient care, Morgan said.
People with covid-19 symptoms should seek testing if they are at a high risk for complications or if they have underlying medical conditions, Sharkey said. People who are young and healthy, and who can stay home may chose to self-quarantine, she said.
To meet the increased demand for covid-19 testing, Baptist Health has added a day and more appointment slots per day to its testing site in the south parking lot of Baptist Health Medical Plaza on Dodson Avenue in Fort Smith. The site is open 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Patients are required to preregister using MyChart. Baptist Health Urgent Care locations in Fort Smith also offer covid-19 testing.
Rogers covid test distribution
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NoneRogers will be distributing a second round of at-home covid-19 tests today at Rogers High School, located at 2300 S. Dixieland Road in Rogers.
The drive-through will be open at 7 a.m. and tests will be handed out until they are gone. The entrance to the event will be at 24th Street and Perry Road.
The tests should be prioritized for at-risk or immunocompromised individuals and their families.
Individuals are allowed to pick up one box for themselves and up to three boxes if they need tests for their families. Each box contains two tests. It is imperative that tests not be hoarded. It is also important that people are considerate of others and only obtain the number of tests necessary.
The test distribution is part of a statewide, Arkansas Department of Health program.