Governor Asa Hutchinson announced an increase of 652 new COVID-19 cases today, a slight dip from Wednesday as testing rises back above 5,000 for the first time in two days.
In his breifing from Little Rock, Hutchinson said the number of hospitilizations decreased by 13 to 473, with 112 on a ventilator. The number of deaths also rose by nine to a total of 582, while the state's total number of coronavirus cases increased to 51,766. Despite a downward trend in the seven-day rolling average of cases, the Governor cautioned that Arkansans must remain committed to slowing the spread of the virus.
"We know that there is nothing guaranteed," Hutchinson said. "It is a good place to start and it all depends upon the individual actions of people in Arkansas."
Health Secretary Jose Romero also said new and positive cases for children under 18 have declined since last month.
"It looks like we're having an influence on these curves of positivity in part from this mask mandate," Romero said. "There will be cases in the community... in school in the coming months, weeks, but we are prepared for that. We have a plan to investigate those patients that could have symptoms and to do contact tracing."
The governor also announced the roll out of a new resource to help avoid spread of COVID-19 once schools re-open on August 24. The document, Arkansas Ready to Learn Healthy School Guide, was developed with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas CHildren's Hospital, The Arkansas Department of Education adn the state Health Department.
UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson said the guide does signal support for the state's decision to resume in-person instruction, but rather offers specific safety guidelines for students and teachers on campus.
"This is guidance for people in our communities who are looking for guidance to be sure that, as we bring our kids back to school, we do that in the healthiest way possible," Patterson said.
He said a second document on behavioral, emotional and mental health issues for students will be released later this month.
You can watch the full briefing here.
