State officials in Arkansas reported 649 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 58,023. While the number of hospitalizations declined by seven to 435, the number of deaths increased by 21 to 732.
There are 5,390 active cases with 4,405 in the community, 727 in correctional facilities and 258 in nursing homes.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the Cummins Unit in Pine Bluff and the Ouachita River Unit in Malvern, two correctional facilities that were struggling earlier on with new cases, no longer have any positive cases of COVID-19.
In terms of testing results, 4,372 came from yesterday. Since the beginning of August, there have been 148,620 tests completed.
According to state epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, the six of the 21 deaths came from nursing homes, but “they were not clustered to any particular nursing home.” She said that the reported deaths have generally been spread across the state. However, ages 65 and older account for approximately 70 percent of the total deaths related to the virus.
Dillaha also made comments on the different types of masks used because some are more effective than others. She said that masks with valves are “not acceptable” and “do not meet the requirements of the directive.”
“A valve unfortunately focuses a stream of air,” she said. “If you see someone with a valve on their face covering, you want to stand behind them because that valve will allow those moisture particles to come through in a very focused way.
Furthermore, neck gaiters and bandanas are not as effective as the regular cloth masks. Dillaha suggested individuals to double them up to add more layers of protection.
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