It appears that new cases of Covid-19 in Eureka Springs, Carroll County and Arkansas have bottomed out and are starting to climb slowly. But current levels of Covid are still at very low levels, said Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO medical clinic.
As of April 25, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 1,213 active cases of Covid-19 in the state, with 111 new cases, and seven active cases in Carroll County.
“It has turned up a little but is still very low compared to 9,000 new cases a day in the state this past winter,” Bell said. “It has created a floor and has started to go back up. What we don’t know is how rapidly it will increase and how high it will go.”
According to the New York Times data checker, cases April 25 for the past 14 days were down 9 percent in Carroll County and up 40 percent in Arkansas. That compared to a 53 percent increase in new cases across the U.S. in the previous 14 days. There have been concerns that numbers are higher than recognized because of the large number of people using home test kits and not reporting results, and people with asymptomatic infections.
Eureka Springs Hospital has had two patients test positive for Covid in the past week, the first positives seen at the hospital since February 23. Samantha Jones, director of marketing, said the numbers are too small and it is too early to conclude the city and county are experiencing an uptick.
“I feel like our numbers are still quite low,” Jones said. “Things are going pretty well. No one wants a positive, but one or two positives is a lot better than where we were in January. We have weathered a lot, so let’s just keep hanging in there and hope our numbers stay as close to zero as possible. We are staying optimistic.”
The hospital has been averaging five or six tests per day, which is also down significantly from the winter when people had to get appointments to get tested and sometimes wait in line.
Jones said they are also seeing good demand for second booster shots. The hospital held a shot clinic at the Holiday Island Church April 20 and gave more than 100 fourth booster shots at that time. Jones said they are also working on scheduling another vaccine clinic in Eureka Springs. To get on the waiting list to be notified when the clinic is held, call Jones at (479) 253-7400, ext. 4802.
Free vaccinations are also available without an appointment at the Carroll County Health Unit, 402 Hailey Road, Berryville.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends second booster shots for those who are over 50 years old or those 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. The second booster is also recommended for people who have had the first dose and one booster of the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Second boosters are recommended if it has been four months since the first booster. The CDC said boosters can further enhance or restore protection that might have waned over time after your primary series vaccination.
“Get your boosters now and we hope there will be a new vaccine in the fall that will cover the new variants,” Bell said. “Moderna is working on a trivalent vaccine that has protection for the three main variants.”
Bell recommends that people get back to life as we used to know it while keeping an eye on Covid numbers.
“The numbers are still so low I think we can do the things we have always done,” Bell said. “Watch the numbers now and try to be appropriate to the situations encountered. For example, a doctor’s office is an example of a place where everyone should be masked up. There are sick people going through there all the time. Masking in medical settings is something we should do long-term.”
The government announced recently that there are ample supplies of Paxlovid, a medicine that can be taken within five days of a Covid infection that has been shown to cause a 90 percent decrease in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to have medical complications. Paxlovid is no longer being rationed and is free.