Governor Briefing – COVID

Arkansas is preparing for a potential surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 this winter, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Tuesday.

The Arkansas Department of Health reported the first case of Omicron in the state last week. The variant was first detected in Africa less than a month ago.

Hutchison struck a hopeful tone during his weekly press conference, referencing the adequate amount of hospital space in the state at this time. Omicron is not expected to peak in Arkansas until early next year, Hutchinson added, suggesting little to no impact on the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Health officials are however expecting a rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Arkansas in the weeks ahead. Nationwide the variant is already responsible for 73 percent of new cases and possibly more in the region including Arkansas.

Preliminary studies of the new variant suggest available vaccines, coupled with booster doses, are effective in reducing the likelihood of severe illness and death.

Concerning statewide COVID-19 figures, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 955 new cases on Tuesday for a total of just over 545,000 since the pandemic began. Active cases increased by 253 to more than 7,500 currently across the state. Deaths increased by 15 to 8,997 over the same period while hospitalizations declined by 17 to 496.

In non-COVID news, Hutchinson announced Arkansas’ redesigned Medicaid expansion program was federally approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Titled ARHOME, it replaces the previous program ARWORKs. Hutchinson said ARHOME will provide continued healthcare coverage for around 300,000 low-income Arkansans.

ARHOME will officially launch Jan. 1, 2022. More information can be found at www.ar.gov/arhome