Rising active COVID cases concern Arkansas health officials
COVID-19 cases in Faulkner County have doubled over the last three weeks and it s causing some concern among health officials. Author: Mercedes Mackay Updated: 6:15 PM CDT June 28, 2021
FAULKNER COUNTY, Ark. Arkansas active COVID-19 cases keep climbing, proving to us that this pandemic is nowhere near over.
It s been the message and the answer from county and city leaders all along. they re just urging more people in their community to get vaccinated.
According to Ty Ledbetter, Conway s COVID-19 Coordinator, cases in Faulkner County have doubled over the last three weeks and it s causing some concern.
February 24, 2021 February 24, 2021 – The week of Feb. 14-22 had the lowest total of COVID-19 test results recorded for Garland County since August due to the winter weather, but Garland County Health Officer Dr. Gene Shelby is still pleased by the continued downward trajectory of the county’s COVID statistics.
Shelby shared with the Hot Springs/Garland County COVID-19 Task Force at the Feb. 22 virtual meeting that there were 1,203 COVID tests completed last week, from which there were 168 new cases reported, or an average of 24 new cases per day. Although the new case counts are the lowest since the first part of October, the rate of positivity rose from the previous week’s 11.1% to 14%, which Shelby attributed to a majority of last week’s testing taking place in the hospitals for those who are experiencing symptoms. The number of active cases in the county dropped to 291 at the time of the meeting from 515 at the same time the previous week.
December 15, 2020
December 15, 2020 – Several COVID-19 statistics for the week of Dec. 6 – 13 in Garland County far exceeded previous record highs, according to Garland County Health Officer Dr. Gene Shelby at the Dec. 14 virtual meeting of the Hot Springs/Garland County Covid-19 Task Force.
Among the record-setting stats were the number of deaths, 17, the number of positives plus those under investigation, 515, and the number of new cases reported during the week, 449. Shelby referenced a graph he presented to the Garland County Library on Dec. 10 that illustrated the post-Thanksgiving holiday rise in active cases for the county, describing it “off the charts.” This past week, the active case count exceeded 500 for the first time since the start of the pandemic. His presentation can be seen on the library’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/garlandcountylibrary.