The state of Arkansas has 751 new COVID-19 cases with 149 in correctional facilities and 602 in the community, bringing the cumulative number to 26,803.
Hot Spring County had the most number of new cases with 145, Pulaski County had 100, Benton County had 54, Washington County had 51, Sebastian County had 42, both Faulkner and Pope counties had 23, Yell County had 21 and Sevier County had 7.
The number of hospitalizations has increased by eight to 402 with 84 patients on a ventilator. The number of related deaths is 313, up four from yesterday. There were 5,212 COVID-19 tests completed yesterday across the state.
According to Secretary of Health Dr. Nate Smith, the number of recoveries have increased by 650 to 20,642. The number of active cases is 5,847 with 5,140 in the community, 584 in correctional facilities and 123 in nursing homes.
Smith attributed many of the new cases in Hot Spring County to the Ouachita River Unit.
“Many of those who have initially tested negative have now tested positive and we will continue to watch those individuals,” Smith said. “All those who have been exposed, but have been initially tested negative, we need to continue to watch them, see if they develop any symptoms [and] test them again if they do.”
Gov. Asa Hutchinson also provided an update on the growth rate of new COVID-19 cases in Arkansas between June 28 and July 4.
“The cumulative growth rate during that period of time was 18.02 percent,” he said at his press conference. “It has been in the past over 20 percent, [but] we have to get that down some more.”
Central Arkansas had the highest growth rate with nearly 27 percent, both the southeast and northwest regions were approximately at 17 percent and both the northeast and southwest regions were at 10 percent.
“It ought to be encouraging really that you might have the Northwest sector that is moving up too fastly, they tighten things up, they really pay attention and it starts looking better, going down a little bit, but now we have the Central region that is a concern.”
The growth rate of new COVID-19 cases between that same time period by age group was highest in the younger age group under 24 and lowest in ages over 65.
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