By Ray King

The latest report from Governor Asa Hutchinson Wednesday indicated that the number of deaths resulting from the COVID-19 virus has remained at 18 since Tuesday, one of those in southeast Arkansas and eight more in the central part of the state.

Tuesday night, Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson told the Quorum Court that a death had occurred in the county, and a hospital spokeswoman confirmed that Wednesday morning. Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley however said Wednesday that he has not been contacted, despite protocols set by the State Health Department. Kelley has asked Jefferson Regional Hospital for confirmation that the death occurred.

https://www.trotterfordpinebluff.com/

The number of people who have tested positive for the Coronavirus increased by 77 from Tuesday to Wednesday and now stands at 1,023.  Seventy-six of those people are hospitalized, two more than on Tuesday.

State Health Officer Dr. Nate Smith said 147 of those who tested positive are health care workers and 206 people have recovered from the virus which, according to Smith, is good news as the number recovering is approaching the number of new cases.

Asked about testing, Smith said over 90 percent of those who have been tested come up with a negative result.

“So, there are not large pockets of infected people we don’t know about yet,” he said. “We would like everyone to know their status but we are not there yet.”

Smith also continued to stress the importance of social distancing, even though it is affecting the emotional health of a lot of people. As an example, Smith cited an incident reported by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) of two family gatherings in Chicago, one a funeral, the second a birthday party three days later. Of those who attended, 16 tested positive for COVID-19 and three died.

The Governor said 110,000 people have now applied for unemployment and that number is expected to increase to 150,000 by the end of the week.

Smith also expressed concern about reports that a Little Rock based abortion clinic was providing services to clients from out of state. He said that goes against what the state is trying to do in restricting travel.

He said while it makes sense for people in border towns to cross from one state to another for treatment, “It doesn’t make sense to travel to the middle of the state for a procedure that is not life-threatening or a medical emergency.”