Arkansas COVID-19 cases up 7,443

(06/01/20)  Arkansas COVID-19 cases up to 7,443  The following stats were shared Monday at Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s daily COVID-19 news conference in Rogers and posted on the Arkansas Department of Health’s website:

  • 7,443 total confirmed cases, up 666 from 6,777 on Friday.
  • 1,909 active cases, down 210 from Friday.
  • 5,401 recoveries, up 455 from Friday.
  • 133 deaths, up one from Friday.
  • 121 cases requiring hospitalization, up eight from Friday.
  • 26 cases on a ventilator, up two from Friday.
  • 136 cases in Garland County, no change from Friday.
  • 132 recoveries in Garland County, up two from Friday.
  • 1 death in Garland County, no change from Friday.

In the past 24 hours, there have been 190 new cases, three of which were from correctional facilities. There were a total of 3,798 test results received, and the positivity rate was 6%. The governor reported that the goal of 60,000 tests in the month of May was well exceeded with a total of 80,808 tests completed. Dr. Nate Smith was pleased to have tested more than 2% of the state’s population in May, but said his goal is to achieve 4% in June, or 120,000. He said that in Northwest Arkansas, where there are currently spikes in new cases, 281 of every 10,000 in population have been tested, which is lower than the state’s average of 442 of 10,000. “We need to do even more testing, not to drive up numbers, but to identify chains of transmission so that we can stop the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately save lives,” Smith said.

The governor showed statewide and Northwest region charts and pointed out how the virus has rolled across the state in different timeframes, “so you cannot take it for granted; you cannot say, ‘Well, we’re past that.’ It’s a matter of constant vigilance that we need to have.”

The governor met with some poultry industry leaders and shared that they are setting a national model for best practices in the industry. Tyson is moving to test every worker in their Northwest Arkansas plan, and Simmons Industries has health center at their plants.