This week, Arkansas once again reached record numbers of new COVID-19 cases and current hospitalizations. On Thursday, Dec. 3, the Arkansas Department of Health reported a record 2,789 new cases and 1,072 current hospitalizations, down 16 from the prior day’s all-time high of 1,088 hospitalizations. There have been 164,310 cases and 2,555 deaths among confirmed and probable cases.
On Wednesday, the CDC announced it was revising its quarantine guidelines to state that in some cases, a quarantine of 7 or 10 days is an option for a person who has had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, the CDC recommended 14 days of quarantine in all cases. On Thursday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the state is adopting the CDC’s revisions.
According to the Arkansas Department of Health’s Educational Institutions Report released on Wednesday, Dec. 2, there are 2,107 active cases among staff members, students, and teachers in the state’s public school districts. Total positive cases increased by 993 since the Monday report to 16,916, of which 11,454 are student cases.
At colleges and universities, there are 442 active cases. The three institutions with the most active cases are:
- University of Arkansas in Fayetteville with 83 cases
- University of Central Arkansas in Conway with 33 cases
- Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with 30 cases
Total positive cases increased by 182 since the Monday report to 8,599 cases. Of these, 6,616 are student cases.
On our COVID-19 in Arkansas page, the COVID-19: Local Data dashboard has been updated with data current through Monday, Nov. 30. Some key data points:
By School District
There are 94 school districts with high new infection rates — 87 in the red zone and seven in the purple zone. School districts in the red zone have 50 to 99 new known infections per 10,000 community residents during a 14-day period, as of Nov. 30. School districts in the purple zone have 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 community residents, or at least 1% of residents, during the same period.
The districts in red or purple zones are:
- Paragould: 124 new known infections per 10K residents
- Corning: 123 new known infections per 10K residents
- Dermott: 113 new known infections per 10K residents
- Marmaduke: 111 new known infections per 10K residents
- Brookland: 109 new known infections per 10K residents
- Monticello: 103 new known infections per 10K residents
- Buffalo Island Central: 102 new known infections per 10K residents
- Paris: 91 new known infections per 10K residents
- Riverside: 91 new known infections per 10K residents
- Drew Central: 90 new known infections per 10K residents
- Manila: 90 new known infections per 10K residents
- Bergman: 87 new known infections per 10K residents
- Star City: 87 new known infections per 10K residents
- Earle: 86 new known infections per 10K residents
- Gurdon: 86 new known infections per 10K residents
- Alpena: 84 new known infections per 10K residents
- Armorel: 84 new known infections per 10K residents
- Warren: 82 new known infections per 10K residents
- Cedar Ridge: 81 new known infections per 10K residents
- Harmony Grove (Clark, Dallas, and Ouachita Counties): 81 new known infections per 10K residents
- Berryville: 80 new known infections per 10K residents
- Green Forest: 79 new known infections per 10K residents
- Sloan-Hendrix: 78 new known infections per 10K residents
- Greene County Tech: 77 new known infections per 10K residents
- Mount Ida: 75 new known infections per 10K residents
- Fordyce: 73 new known infections per 10K residents
- Piggott: 73 new known infections per 10K residents
- Barton-Lexa: 72 new known infections per 10K residents
- Mena: 72 new known infections per 10K residents
- Benton: 71 new known infections per 10K residents
- Jackson County: 70 new known infections per 10K residents
- Salem: 70 new known infections per 10K residents
- Valley Springs: 70 new known infections per 10K residents
- Malvern: 69 new known infections per 10K residents
- Nemo Vista: 69 new known infections per 10K residents
- Ozark: 69 new known infections per 10K residents
- Valley View: 68 new known infections per 10K residents
- Bauxite: 66 new known infections per 10K residents
- Hampton: 66 new known infections per 10K residents
- South Side: 66 new known infections per 10K residents
- Camden Fairview: 65 new known infections per 10K residents
- Marvell: 65 new known infections per 10K residents
- Prescott: 65 new known infections per 10K residents
- Springdale: 65 new known infections per 10K residents
- Dardanelle: 64 new known infections per 10K residents
- Nettleton: 63 new known infections per 10K residents
- Newport: 63 new known infections per 10K residents
- Ouachita River: 62 new known infections per 10K residents
- Viola: 62 new known infections per 10K residents
- Westside Consolidated: 62 new known infections per 10K residents
- Wynne: 61 new known infections per 10K residents
- Hermitage: 59 new known infections per 10K residents
- McGehee: 59 new known infections per 10K residents
- Midland: 59 new known infections per 10K residents
- South Conway County: 59 new known infections per 10K residents
- Atkins: 58 new known infections per 10K residents
- Harrison: 58 new known infections per 10K residents
- Magnolia: 58 new known infections per 10K residents
- Poyen: 58 new known infections per 10K residents
- Booneville: 56 new known infections per 10K residents
- Bradford: 56 new known infections per 10K residents
- Flippin: 56 new known infections per 10K residents
- Ozark Mountain: 56 new known infections per 10K residents
- Cutter-Morning Star: 55 new known infections per 10K residents
- Hoxie: 55 new known infections per 10K residents
- Sheridan: 55 new known infections per 10K residents
- Gosnell: 54 new known infections per 10K residents
- Hamburg: 54 new known infections per 10K residents
- Jonesboro: 54 new known infections per 10K residents
- Lakeside: 54 new known infections per 10K residents
- Mountain Home: 54 new known infections per 10K residents
- Rector: 54 new known infections per 10K residents
- Clarendon: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
- Cleveland County: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
- Fort Smith: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
- Lawrence County: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
- Omaha: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
- Russellville: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
- Alma: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- Crossett: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- Jasper: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- Vernon/Enola*: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- Searcy: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- Waldron: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- White Hall: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
- Fayetteville: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
- Harrisburg: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
- Trumann: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
- White County Central: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
- Yellville-Summit: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
- Bearden: 50 new known infections per 10K residents
- Kirby: 50 new known infections per 10K residents
- Prairie Grove: 50 new known infections per 10K residents
- Riverview: 50 new known infections per 10K residents
Twelve high schools in red-zone school districts have scheduled football games on Friday, Dec. 4. Six of these schools are playing each other.
By Community
The communities with the highest new known infection rates per 10,000 residents:
- Lafe: 156 new known infections per 10K residents
- Elaine: 155 new known infections per 10K residents
- Oden: 140 new known infections per 10K residents
- Pine Ridge: 140 new known infections per 10K residents
- Everton: 126 new known infections per 10K residents
- Corning: 123 new known infections per 10K residents
- Brookland: 117 new known infections per 10K residents
- Mount Ida: 112 new known infections per 10K residents
- Dermott: 111 new known infections per 10K residents
- Paragould: 109 new known infections per 10K residents
- Leachville: 108 new known infections per 10K residents
By ZIP Code
The ZIP codes with the highest rates of new known infections:
- 72436: 156 new known infections per 10K residents
- 72333: 155 new known infections per 10K residents
- 71961: 140 new known infections per 10K residents
- 72633: 126 new known infections per 10K residents
- 72422: 123 new known infections per 10K residents
