33 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN RED ZONE ON ACHI’S MAP FOR NEW COVID-19 INFECTIONS, UP FROM 28 LAST WEEK

LITTLE ROCK ― Thirty-three Arkansas public school districts have COVID-19 infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, up from 28 last week, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement said Thursday, citing its analysis of Arkansas Department of Health data current as of Monday.

For the second week in a row, no district has an infection rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, according to this week’s data, the nonpartisan health policy center said.

ACHI’s map showing COVID-19 infection rates in school districts ― available at achi.net/covid19 ― uses the following color key: 0 to 9 new known infections per 10,000 residents over 14 days, dark green; 10 to 19 infections per 10K residents, light green; 20 to 29 infections per 10K residents, yellow; 30 to 49 infections per 10K residents, orange; 50 to 99 infections per 10K residents, red; and 100 or more infections per 10K residents, purple.

Most, but not all, of the red-zone districts on ACHI’s map are in northern parts of the state.

“Just five weeks ago, no Arkansas school districts were in the red or purple zones, but unfortunately we’ve seen a resurgence in community spread of COVID-19,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “Please get vaccinated if you haven’t, and get boosted if you’re eligible. If you plan to gather with members of other households over the holidays, agree on ground rules and vaccine expectations ahead of time, consider getting tested, and don’t attend if you’re sick.”

This week’s count of red-zone districts is the highest since the week of Oct. 4, when 40 districts were in the red zone and none were in the purple zone.

As of Monday, the following 33 school districts had infection rates of at least 50 new known infections per 10,000 district residents over the previous 14 days. An asterisk indicates that a district is new to the list this week.

The next update to ACHI’s COVID-19 dashboard is planned for Dec. 30. The dashboard will not be updated during the week of Christmas.

The color-shading of a district is based on infections among community residents living within the geographical boundaries of each school district and not on cases among school employees and students.

Known infections reported by ACHI include confirmed and probable cases. Probable cases are based on verbal reporting and antigen test results, as identified by the Department of Health.

Infection rates and counts are not shown for districts with fewer than five reported infections to reduce the possibility of identifying individuals. School district counts do not include infections among incarcerated populations, in nursing homes, or in human development centers.

ACHI also updated the maps and tables on its website displaying vaccination rates by public school district, community, and ZIP code, using Department of Health data current as of Monday. Fifteen school districts have achieved vaccination rates of at least 50% of district residents, but no district has yet reached a 60% vaccination rate.

ACHI is a nonpartisan, independent health policy center that serves as a catalyst for improving the health of all Arkansans through evidence-based research, public issue advocacy, and collaborative program development.

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