Governor Hutchinson COVID-19 Update

State officials are hopeful vaccination rates are increasing with an additional 30,000 Arkansans receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose over just a 24-hour period.

 Gov. Asa Hutchinson said demand for the vaccine saw a large increase between Monday and Tuesday, in line with a dramatic rise in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths across Arkansas. 

 During a press conference on Tuesday, Hutchinson added state legislators approved the public health emergency declaration announced by the governor last week.

 Hutchinson stressed the state is not considering any vaccine requirements or renewed mask mandates. However, Hutchinson said he is asking the state legislature to amend Act 1002 to provide school districts with local control over how they implement COVID-related guidelines and requirements. Passed in April, Act 1002 prohibits any public entity in Arkansas, including local governments and school districts, from issuing such requirements. The legislature is meeting Wednesday to vote on the amendment. 

 Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero also spoke at Tuesday’s press conference on how the virus is increasingly targeting children in Arkansas. 

 The Arkansas Department of Health reported 2,343 new cases of COVID-19 across the state on Tuesday for a cumulative total of over 391,000 cases since the pandemic began. Active cases rose by 577 to total 19,499 currently. Deaths increased by 16 for a total of over 6,200. Hospitalizations rose by 30 to leave 1,250 Arkansans currently hospitalized due to the virus.