While there were only an estimated six active cases of Covid-19 in Carroll County April 11, according to the Arkansas Department of Health, three more deaths have been added to the total in the first part of April. The death toll in Carroll County is now 102. ADH doesn’t indicate if the three recent deaths occurred recently or have been added from earlier cases as part of a data cleanup.
Overall, ADH reports 1,038 active cases and 11,308 deaths from Covid-19 in Arkansas as of April 11. Total cases are estimated at 833,685, about 28 percent of the state’s population of three million.
Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO Clinic, said that Covid numbers are very good in our area. He said it is probably safe to get together with others without masks.
“With Easter coming next weekend, it is probably safe to go to church,” Bell said. “The Covid numbers are delightfully low. It is safe to carry on with life as usual while keeping an eye on what is going around us.”
Health officials are being vigilant about tracking the new omicron variant, BA.2, which has caused an increase in Covid cases in the Northeast U.S. and in other countries. It is considered the most contagious variant yet but is not causing as many hospitalizations and deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects that anyone with an omicron infection, regardless of vaccination status or whether they have symptoms, can spread the virus to others.
“The presence and severity of symptoms can be affected by Covid-19 vaccination status, the presence of other health conditions, age, and history of prior infection,” the CDC wrote. “Even if only a small percentage of people with omicron infection need hospitalization, a large volume of cases in a community could overwhelm the healthcare system which is why it’s important to take steps to protect yourself.”
Bell said it is possible that the U.S. could be at the beginning of a surge with the new omicron variant.
“People who are not vaccinated could get more ill,” Bell said. “If you are over 50 or have underlying health problems, and it has been four months since your booster shot, you should get the second booster. We should be praying that by fall we will have a vaccine that is more specific to the new variants. We hope we will gradually shift gears so eventually we will be getting a booster only once a year instead of having to do this every four months. If you get a shot around now, you should be good until the fall when there will hopefully be a more specific vaccine. The flu shot is effective against three flu variants most likely to be spreading. We need to be doing the same thing with Covid.
“If you feel better putting a mask on, put a mask on. It is still required to wear a mask when flying on an airplane. There are still settings where a mask is appropriate.”
Some experts have suggested that the large number of politicians and movie stars—people who are being tested regularly—who have tested positive for Covid could mean the virus is spreading more than realized. Many people with symptoms are using the home test kits, which Bell said aren’t as accurate and may miss low levels of the virus.
“The PCR test is still the gold standard,” he said. “It is more accurate.”
Samantha Jones, director of marketing at Eureka Springs Hospital, said demand for the PCR tests has declined significantly. They are getting a lot more calls from people interested in a second booster shot.
“We should be having another vaccination clinic very soon,” Jones said. “I have a list of people in the community who are interested in receiving their fourth shot and will give them a call when our vaccine clinic is scheduled. We are also planning a vaccination clinic sometime soon in Holiday Island.”
Economy Drugs in Berryville is booked up until May for Covid booster shots.