June 16, 2020 2:18 p.m. — Gov. Hutchinson delivered today's COVID-19 update from Hot Springs. He reported the state has 13,191 positive cases, an increase of 274 from yesterday. Hospitalizations increased by 8 for a total of 214. Arkansas has 188 deaths related to the coronavirus, an increase of 6.
Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, state epidemiologist and medical director for immunizations and outbreak response at the Arkansas Department of Health, broke down the state's cummulative case count by age group. Patients 25 to 44 years old account for largest portion of cases at 38 percent. Patients 65 and older account for about 11.5 percent of total cases; however, they account for 70 percent of deaths. Dr. Dillaha said while older adults account for a lower percentage of cases, they are at a higher risk of dying from the virus.
Gov. Hutchinson said 4,175 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours. Since March 11, officials have conducted 208,000 tests. That's more than 6 percent of the state's population. In terms of the initiative to test all nursing home reisdents and staff in the month of June, Gov. Hutchinson said 13,000 tests have been completed with 113 positive cases. That's a 0.9 percent positivity rate. As of Saturday, 150 facilities have been tested with 250 remaining.
Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said unemployment insurance claims have decreased from a high of 122,000 to about 106,000 last week. He said about 32,000 Arkansans have received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Sec. Preston said during the pandemic, the governor waived three unemployment insurance requirements: waiting a week to receive benefits, filing in person and searching for work. Beginning the week of June 28, the search for work requirement will be reinstated.
You can watch the entire daily briefing here.
