(03/21/20) Total of 118 confirmed cases in Arkansas Announced at Governor Asa Hutchinson’s 1:30 p.m. COVID-19 press conference, the total of confirmed cases in the state is up 22 over Friday’s number of 96, for a total of 118. Of this total, nine are children, 32 are senior citizens and 77 are adults, ages 18-64. There have been 13 COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization with seven requiring ICU and four requiring the use of a ventilator. Governor Hutchinson shared that a projection moving forward for Arkansas, based on the pandemic’s effect on other states and areas, is that Arkansas would hit the peak of cases in 6-8 weeks with 1,000 patients at that point possibly needing hospitalization. He and his task force stressed the importance of flattening the curve of this pandemic by practicing social distancing and good self hygiene (hand washing, etc.), screening by businesses and avoiding unnecessary travel. If all of these are given priority by all of us in the state, Arkansas may not have to take the more extreme mitigation measures, such as shelter-in-place, being done in other states.