COVID-19 in Arkansas: A Weekly Snapshot, Oct. 16-22, 2020

This week, the cumulative COVID-19 case count surpassed 100,000 in Arkansas. As of Oct. 22, the Arkansas Department of Health has reported 1,772 deaths among confirmed and probable cases. New confirmed and probable cases increased by 1,202 to 102,798, with 612 currently hospitalized and 96 currently on a ventilator.

According to the Arkansas Department of Health’s Educational Institutions Report released Oct. 22, there are 987 active cases among staff members, students, and teachers in the state’s public school districts. Total positive cases increased by 519 since the Oct. 19 report to 7,546, of which 5,389 are student cases

Earlier this month, a Harrisburg School District teacher passed away from COVID-19, following the COVID-19-related death of an Atkins superintendent in September. Last week, a first-grade teacher from Watson Chapel also succumbed to complications from the disease.

At colleges and universities, there are 394 active cases. The three institutions with the highest numbers of active cases are:

• Harding University in Searcy with 50 cases
• Arkansas Tech University with 46 cases
• University of Arkansas in Fayetteville with 39 cases

Total positive cases increased by 192 since the Oct. 19 report to 5,726 cases. Of these, 4,587 are student cases.

Some of the known football cancellations due to positive COVID-19 cases this week include:

• Marion and Pine Bluff
• Rivercrest and Gosnell

On our COVID-19 in Arkansas page this week, all the data in the COVID-19: Local Data dashboard have been updated through Oct. 19. Some key data points:

By School District

There are 42 school districts in the red zone this week as of Oct. 19, up from 26 last week. There are 23 school districts that have been newly added this week, while 19 districts remain in the red zone from the prior week. School districts in the red zone have 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents in the community during a 14-day period. These districts are:

• Lawrence County: 139 new known infections per 10K residents
• Marked Tree: 132 new known infections per 10K residents
• Mammoth Spring: 132 new known infections per 10K residents
• Sloan-Hendrix: 110 new known infections per 10K residents
• Hoxie: 103 new known infections per 10K residents
• Spring Hill: 86 new known infections per 10K residents
• Manila: 86 new known infections per 10K residents
• Brookland: 84 new known infections per 10K residents
• Armorel: 77 new known infections per 10K residents
• Ozark: 76 new known infections per 10K residents
• Green Forest: 74 new known infections per 10K residents
• Valley View: 69 new known infections per 10K residents
• Mulberry/Pleasant View: 69 new known infections per 10K residents
• Riverside: 68 new known infections per 10K residents
• Brinkley: 68 new known infections per 10K residents
• Barton-Lexa: 68 new known infections per 10K residents
• Nettleton: 66 new known infections per 10K residents
• Paragould: 65 new known infections per 10K residents
• Paris: 64 new known infections per 10K residents
• Nevada: 64 new known infections per 10K residents
• Maynard: 64 new known infections per 10K residents
• Corning: 64 new known infections per 10K residents
• Deer/Mt. Judea: 63 new known infections per 10K residents
• Scranton: 62 new known infections per 10K residents
• Clarendon: 62 new known infections per 10K residents
• Greenwood: 60 new known infections per 10K residents
• Trumann: 58 new known infections per 10K residents
• Harrisburg: 58 new known infections per 10K residents
• Ouachita: 57 new known infections per 10K residents
• Dierks: 57 new known infections per 10K residents
• Westside Consolidated: 56 new known infections per 10K residents
• Concord: 56 new known infections per 10K residents
• Pocahontas: 55 new known infections per 10K residents
• Jackson County: 55 new known infections per 10K residents
• Helena/West Helena: 55 new known infections per 10K residents
• Jonesboro: 53 new known infections per 10K residents
• Buffalo Island Central: 52 new known infections per 10K residents
• Greene County Tech: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
• Blytheville: 51 new known infections per 10K residents
• Searcy: 50 new known infections per 10K residents
• Marmaduke: 50 new known infections per 10K residents
• Hillcrest: 50 new known infections per 10K residents

Tonight, Oct. 23, twenty-seven high schools in red-zone school districts have scheduled football games. Ten of these schools are playing each other: Manila vs. Hoxie, Searcy vs. Jonesboro, Blytheville vs. Trumann, Greene County Tech vs. Valley View, and Pocahontas vs. Westside.