273 positive cases from a total of 3,530 tests

The following statistics were shared Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s daily COVID-19 news conference in Little Rock and posted on the Arkansas Department of Health’s (ADH) website:

• 61,497 total confirmed cases, up 273 from 61,224 on Monday. 
• 5,036 active cases, down 430 from Monday.
• 55,647 recoveries, up 686 from Monday.
• 814 deaths, up 17 from Monday (six were delayed reports).
• 423 cases requiring hospitalization, up three from Monday.
• 85 cases requiring a ventilator, down two from Monday. 
• 1,434 cumulative cases in Garland County, up six from Monday.
• 133 active cases in Garland County, down 14 from Monday.
• 1,272 recoveries in Garland County, up 20 from Monday.
• 29 deaths in Garland County, no change from Monday.

In the past 24 hours, the number of new cases in Arkansas was 273, with 258 from the community and 15 from correctional facilities. Counties with the number of new cases higher than 20 in the past 24 hours include Pulaski with 44, Benton with 29, Sebastian with 24 and Washington with 21. 

The number of tests completed in the past 24 hours was 3,530. For the month of August, the state fell just shy of the 190,000 PCR test goal with a total of 186,379, or 6.2% of the population. The testing goals for the month of September were set today at 180,000 PCR tests and 10,000 antigen tests. 

Dr. Ivy Pfeffer, deputy commission of the Department of Education, shared there have been a few additional school districts that have had to modify some of their on-site operations due to COVID-19. These include the quarantining of a grade level in a Mountain View middle school due to a number of close contacts to a known case; a kindergarten class in the Rogers School District; and a Fort Smith high school that has also been affected by a number of close contacts to known cases. 

In responding to a question from yesterday relating to a recent CDC report about co-morbities and COVID-19 fatalities, Hutchinson said that among the deaths related to COVID-19 in Arkansas, 94.5% had contributing factors. These include hypertensive diseases, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, heart failure and cerebrovascular disease. A COVID-19 death is one in which COVID-19 is listed by the coroner as the primary or contributing cause of death, said Hutchinson. “It doesn’t mean that if you have no co-morbities, you have nothing to worry about. The virus does kill, we know that, healthy individuals,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Jose Romero. 

Also in response to a question from yesterday, Hutchinson said that there has been a 78.9% rate of recovery among COVID-19 patients who have required hospitalization in Arkansas. 

All census information has to be in by Sept. 30, and Hutchinson encouraged everyone in the state to either go to 2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020 to be counted.