Arkansas COVID-19 cases up 522 to 16,083

(06/22/20) The following stats were shared Monday at Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s daily COVID-19 news conference in Little Rock and posted on the Arkansas Department of Health’s website:

  • 16,083 total confirmed cases, up 522 from 15,561 on Sunday.
  • 5,063 active cases, up 358 from Sunday.
  • 10,793 recoveries, up 337 from Sunday.
  • 227 deaths, up two from Sunday.
  • 237 cases requiring hospitalization, down seven from Sunday.
  • 61 cases requiring a ventilator, down one from Sunday.
  • 177 cases in Garland County, up five from Sunday.
  • 25 active cases in Garland County, down two from Sunday.
  • 151 recoveries in Garland County, up seven from Sunday.
  • 1 death in Garland County, no change from Sunday.

As of Monday, June 22, the June testing goal of 120,000 has been reached with a total of 120,053 tests being administered. There were a total of 7,049 test results compiled in the past 24 hours. The cumulative positivity rate is at 6.3%.

Among today’s new cases, 642 were from correctional facilities and 4,315 were from the community. The counties with the highest number of new cases are Washington (124), Hot Spring (85) and Benton (78). The Hot Spring County cases are mostly, if not all, from the Ouachita Unit Correctional Facility.

With contact tracing, they are showing that the highest traces comes from restaurants (2%) and churches (2%) followed by barber shops (.4%), hotel/motels (.4%) and gyms (.2%).

Gov. Hutchinson stated that there is a total hospital bed capacity in Arkansas of 8,917 beds. Currently, there are 71% occupied, leaving 28.6% (2,552) beds available for accommodating COVID-19 and routine procedures and other healthcare needs. There is also a total ICU bed capacity of 970 beds in Arkansas. Currently, there are 77.7% occupied, leaving 22.3% (222) ICU beds available for COVID-19 and ICU related needs. For the total vent capacity in Arkansas, there are 894 total vents. Currently, there are 34.8% vents occupied, leaving 65.2% (583) vents available for COVID-19 and normal procedure vent related needs.

Dr. Nate Smith added, there are available plans to expand total bed and total ICU bed capacities, if necessary, and there are additional vents on order.

Hutchinson presented three CEO guest-speakers from hospitals around the state to discuss hospital capacity.

Troy Wells, Baptist Health CEO, stated “hospitals in Arkansas are in good shape.” Hospitals are getting busier due to patients coming back after originally delaying routine checkups and procedures earlier in the pandemic. In addition, there are plans for (short and long time) critical care needs. Hospitals throughout the state are communicating with other hospitals throughout the community. They are adapt to working regionally and working together to have needs met and moving patients around the state, if needed.

Chad Aduddell, CHI St. Vincent CEO, assured, that the hospitals are “more prepared and in better shape as a healthcare delivery system than we’ve been at any time during the pandemic to take care of patients in a safe way, to keep our coworkers and physicians safe. But most importantly, to keep our patients safe. [Today] less than 5% of our patients are currently COVID-19 positive.”

Cam Patterson, chancellor for the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, discussed that there are strategies to keep patients, who are going to the hospitals for COVID-19 or elective procedures, separate to prevent the risk of transferring the virus to other patients.