(07/29/20) 22 new cases in Garland County

The following statistics were shared Wednesday, July 29, at Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s daily COVID-19 news conference in Russellville and posted on the Arkansas Department of Health’s website:

• 40,968 total confirmed cases, up 787 from 40,181 on Tuesday. 
• 6,596 active cases, up 31 from Tuesday.
• 33,938 recoveries, up 750 from Tuesday.
• 434 deaths, up six from Tuesday.
• 508 cases requiring hospitalization, up seven from Tuesday.
• 108 cases requiring a ventilator, down two from Tuesday.  
• 735 cumulative cases in Garland County, up 22 cases from Tuesday.
• 219 active cases in Garland County, down five from Tuesday.
• 509 recoveries in Garland County, up 27 from Tuesday.
• 7 deaths in Garland County, no change from Tuesday.

In the past 24 hours, the number of new cases was 787, with 617 from the community and 170 from correctional facilities, 145 of which were from an outbreak in a prison in Chicot County. The top counties for new case counts were Chicot with 152, Pulaski with 82, Sebastian with 43, Benton with 33, Little River with 30, Craighead with 24, Mississippi with 22 and Washington with 22. There were also 22 new cases reported in Garland County, but with 27 new recoveries, the active case count dropped by five to 219. 

There were 4,519 test results received by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) in the past 24 hours, which the governor said “is not as high as we wish it would be.” Commercial labs “are being slammed by cases all over the country” and are behind schedule, Hutchinson explained. On a call with the White House yesterday, he said he was told commercial testing will be improved with increased production in August. 

Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, of ADH, explained the isolation and quarantine protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When people get tested for COVID-19, they should isolate themselves until they get their results. For those with no symptoms or for those with mild to moderate cases, isolation of 10 days is required beginning from the first day of symptoms or from the day their test sample was taken. For those with more severe cases, which may require hospitalization, or those with weakened immune systems, isolation should last for at least 20 days. For those who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, they should be quarantined for 14 days.