9 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN RED ZONE ON ACHI’S MAP FOR NEW COVID-19 INFECTIONS

LITTLE ROCK ― Nine 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, down from 11 last week, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement said Thursday.

Of those nine districts, none have rates of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents, down from one last week, according to Arkansas Department of Health data ACHI obtained Monday.

The health policy center also said Thursday that six school districts have COVID-19 vaccination rates of at least 50% of district residents, up from five last week: Bentonville at 56%; Cleveland County and Magnet Cove at 54%; Fountain Lake at 53%; Pulaski County Special School District at 52%; and new to the list this week is Eureka Springs at 53%.

The school district-level information, along with local-level data on vaccination rates, can be found on ACHI’s COVID-19 in Arkansas web page at achi.net/covid19. On ACHI’s map of Arkansas school districts, a district with 50 to 99 new known infections per 10,000 residents is shaded red. 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 its maps and tables displaying COVID-19 vaccination rates by public school district, community, and ZIP code, using Department of Health data current as of Monday. This information is the product of a partnership between ACHI and the Arkansas Department of Health.

As of Monday, the following nine school districts had a rate 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.

• Ashdown*
• Blevins
• Bradford
• Cross County
• DeQueen*
• Highland*
• Jackson County
• Quitman
• Western Yell County

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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