Arkansas COVID-19 cases up record high 444 community cases to total of 10,816

(06/11/20)  Arkansas COVID-19 cases up record high 444 community cases to total of 10,816  The following stats were shared Thursday at Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s daily COVID-19 news conference in Little Rock and posted on the Arkansas Department of Health’s website:

• 10,816 total confirmed cases, up 448 from 10,368 on Wednesday.
• 3,294 active cases, up 207 from Wednesday.
• 7,351 recoveries, up 235 from Wednesday.
• 171 deaths, up six from Wednesday.
• 187 cases requiring hospitalization, up six from Wednesday.
• 45 cases on a ventilator, down four from Wednesday.
• 502 cases among nursing homes, up nine from Wednesday.
• 153 cases in Garland County, up three from Wednesday.
• 134 recoveries in Garland County, no change from Wednesday.
• 1 death in Garland County, no change from Wednesday.

The total of 444 community cases added since yesterday is a new single-day record for the state. Of the total active cases, 2,955 are in the community. There were a total of 4,914 test results compiled in the past 24 hours.

The counties with the highest new case counts include Washington (143), Benton (78), Pulaski (37), Carroll (13), Faulkner (12), Crittenden (10) and Pope (10). In Washington County, 93% of the new cases are from Springdale. The Arkansas Department of Health is seeing new cases coming from household clustering, clustering within communities and clusters associated with some workplaces, particularly poultry-related businesses. Hutchinson said that the state is keeping track with the hospitals in the Northwest part of the state and they are sufficient with capacity and PPE supplies to handle the current surge in hospitalizations. He said they will continue to watch that situation and will make sure they have the supplies and the support they need.

A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is arriving in Northwest Arkansas tomorrow. Their goal is to help the state better understand the dynamics of transmission in that part of the state, as well as to help more effectively reach out to the Latino community with messages relating to protecting themselves and others from COVID-19 and to interrupt those chains of transmission.

Hutchinson and Dr. Ivy Pfeffer, deputy commissioner with the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), discussed plans for Arkansas youth to go back to school in August with regular classroom instruction and online supplemented learning as needed. Arkansas Ready for Learning, the plan for return to onsite instruction with flexibility for remote learning options, offers support for districts and is an opportunity for teachers, parents, students and the community to engage in the planning with school districts. The Arkansas Department of Education released a document to districts last week to promote a safe return to on-site instruction. Local Ready for Learning committees are encouraged. Safety measures for school districts will include good hand hygiene, disinfecting surfaces, screening adults and visitors, encouraging use of face coverings, physical distancing and encouraging people to stay home when sick.

“During the next school year, it may be necessary to pivot from on-site to off-site remote learning. The state will provide guidance, resources and directives when necessary, but ultimately what school looks like is going to be guided by each local school district working with their local community,” said Pfeffer.