This time a year ago the country was headed into another major surge of Covid-19. But in October Carroll County, Arkansas and the country are seeing significantly lower rates of new Covid cases and hospitalizations leading to hope that this might be the last major wave of Covid.
Active cases of Covid are still high in Arkansas at nearly 10,000, almost double what it was in June. And the percent of tests that are positive are 14.1 percent when health authorities want to see that number below 10 percent.
Vaccination rates in the state continue to slowly increase, narrowing the gap between Arkansas and states with high vaccination rates. Arkansas now has 56 percent of its population receiving one vaccine dose and 46 percent fully immunized with two doses. In ages 65 and older, 86 percent have received at least one dose.
Many may have some immunity due to a prior infection. A recent study by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health estimates that 31 percent of the U.S. population had been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 by the end of 2020. Vaccination is still recommended even if someone has had a prior infection.
The average number of new cases in the state has dropped below 1,000. In Carroll County, 23 new cases were reported in the week ending Oct. 4, and 42 were considered active. New cases in Arkansas as of Oct. 4 were down 56 percent in the past two weeks, hospitalizations were down 29 percent, and deaths were down 19 percent.
“The graph speaks for itself,” Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO Clinic, said. “There is good news. It looks like it is going in the right direction There has been a very nice drop off in new cases and hospitalizations. Deaths are coming down, but they will lag behind new cases because it takes time for people to get really sick and end up in the ICU. The deaths will lag behind the cases by a month.”
Bell and other health authorities are urging people to still take this seriously as it isn’t known yet if there will be another surge like last fall and winter. He said it is a great time to be immunized, especially considering that nation’s death toll from Covid-19 has reached 700,000 with all but an estimated 3,000 of the most recent 100,000 deaths being in people who were not immunized.
“The fact is, thousands of people have died unnecessarily because they didn’t get the shot,” Bell said. “In recent months, almost all died because they didn’t get the vaccine. That is a national tragedy. Hopefully, we won’t have another surge, but now is a great time to get vaccinated. First time shots are probably the most important, but people should be getting their Pfizer boosters if they are qualified. Moderna boosters have been approved for those who are immune compromised. It is premature to get the Moderna booster unless you are immune compromised. They have not cleared it for general use as a booster.”
Bell said it makes intuitive sense that the booster would be helpful because of the Delta variant, but people should wait for the Centers for Disease Control and the Federal Drug Administration to rule on it. He said there are a lot of unanswered questions and recommends waiting for a booster shot until the experts say it is appropriate.
What is the best timing between the second and third shots, and what is the best dose? There is some consideration of Moderna booster dose being half what it was originally. Moderna’s dose for the first two shots was .5 ccs while Pfizer was .3 ccs.
“Moderna seems to be lasting longer and working a little better than Pfizer,” Bell said. “But stay consistent with the initial vaccine that you took. If you got Pfizer, stay with it. If you got Moderna, stay with it.”
The World Health Organization has spoken out strongly against booster shots in rich countries before the end of the year while most people in poor countries are waiting for their first shots. WHO said it hasn’t yet been proven that boosters are necessary for most people as the vaccines are preventing most hospitalizations and deaths.
ECHO clinic gave thousands of first and second Moderna shots earlier in the year. Bell said they will do booster shots at the clinic when governmental approval comes through.
Catherine Pappas, community liaison of Eureka Springs Hospital, said they gave 48 shots during the most recent Friday clinic at the hospital. There were no first shots, 11 second shots and the rest were boosters.
“People are in the process of wanting to get out in the community again safely, so the booster or third shot is very significant,” she said.
The number of people coming into the emergency room with Covid has dropped considerably, and the hospital doesn’t have any Covid patients in the hospital at present. The hospital has a nurse shortage—something that is common all over the country—but Pappas said top officials at the hospital such as CEO Angie Shaw are working as needed to fill any gaps in nursing care.
Approval is expected this month for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to children ages 5-11. The hospital will be working with the Eureka Springs School District to provide on-site vaccination clinics once the vaccine is approved for younger children.
Moving into the flu season, healthcare workers are going to have to determine if someone who comes to the ER has the flu or Covid. Pappas strongly suggests people get their flu shots.
“That is something that’s still important as they are two different viruses,” she said. “Still keep social distancing and masks when around crowds. I wear my mask. I might go to a store and be one of the few customers wearing it, but I will continue wearing my mask for now. I don’t think Covid will completely go away. People need to continue the right precautions, including washing their hands frequently in order to be as healthy as you can be.”
Flu shots are available at the Walmart and the Department of Human Services Berryville.
Covid vaccines are available at Smith Drug in Eureka Springs on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:30 and 5 p.m. Call (479) 253-9175 for an appointment. The Holiday Island Pharmacy is also offering free Moderna vaccinations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointments are necessary. Pfizer boosters will be offered each Thursday by appointment only. Call (479) 239-2121.