It's been 10 months since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Arkansas and infections are continuing to increase at a pace of over a thousand new cases per day. While new case numbers were comparatively low on Monday and Tuesday, Governor Asa Hutchinson warned the decrease shouldn't be mistaken for the end of the crisis. Hutchinson, who is 70, received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Arkansas Department of Health earlier this week. He also provided an update on the doses received by the state. As is usually the case, Arkansas Secretary of Health Dr. Jose Romero also attended yesterday's weekly coronavirus response briefing. He said the state is watching closely for new strains of COVID-19 that have been detected in other parts of the world and the U.S., but added it's not unusual for a virus to develop variants. Romero said it's just a matter of time before coronavirus variants make their way into Arkansas and the CDC anticipates that by March, the variants will be the dominant strain found in the U.S. Arkansas Secretary of Education Johnny Key also provided an update. He said the state is now offering a new resource to help students, especially those learning from home, to stay on track with their studies. ADE has partnered with the Arkansas Department of Human Services to create a statewide community resources portal, which offers sources of support for barriers like food insecurity and mental health. The portal can be accessed by any school, organization or individual. To watch the full briefing, click here.
Arkansas Health Department Monitoring for COVID-19 Variants
