August 17, 2020 4:40 pm - Four more people have died from the coronavirus in the Arkansas, bringing death toll to 603, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced in his daily briefing today. The state recored 412 new cases- the lowest levels in more than a month - with 4,093 people tested since Sunday.
Helath Secretary Jose Romero said the total number of positive COVID-19 tests in Arkansas since March 11 is at 53,077 with 6,341 of those considered active. Hospitalizations rose by 8 to a toal of 486, with 120 people on ventillators, according to the Arkansas Department of health.
Romero said the health department updated its database over the weekend which resulted in the removal of 1,251 cases determined to be out of state or duplicate tests. One death recorded over the weekend was also removed from the state’s cumilative count after it was disvcovered that the perons who died received a false positive test result.
During the breifing Hutchinson also touched on his meeting earlier today with Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coordinator for the national COVID-19 response. He said, she noted the seven-day positivty rate for cases is on a steady decline, but stressed Arkansans must continue to slow community spread.
“She certainly encouraged us to do more,” He said. “That we still have more work to do here in Arkansas.”
Birx, he said, indicated that antigen testing equipment will be made available through funds from the federal government with priority on nursing homes.
With public schools set to reopen in less than a week, the governor noted that 52 private schools have already begun in-person instruction.
“It does give us some information flow as to how that is working in the private sector,” He said.
Hutchinson also spoke about absentee voting, encouraging those who do choose to mail in their ballots to vote early. He said a letter from the U.S. Postal Services over the weekend warned that a large number of absentee votes closer to election day would be more difficult to properly count.
Watch the full briefing here.
