COVID-19 update

New daily cases of COVID-19 in Arkansas continue to rank among the highest since the pandemic began and more than one thousand people are hospitalized in the state for treatment related to the virus. During a slideshow presentation at Tuesday’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Governor Asa Hutchinson said southwest Arkansas continues to see the highest rate of COVID-19 patients in the state who require ICU treatment. Currently, over 57 percent of ICUs in the southwest corner of the state are occupied by COVID-19 patients. That’s around 20 points higher than anywhere else in Arkansas.

Troy Wells, CEO of Arkansas Baptist Health, said the increasing hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Arkansas is putting stress on hospitals and healthcare workers. And especially the state’s ICU facilities.

Wells said the state’s Trauma Communications Center, also known as Trauma Com, is being re-tooled to help address that problem. Trauma Com will work with hospitals across the state to catalog available resources and ensure COVID-19 patients receive prompt access to quality care – even if that means they while not have access to their nearest hospital.