While there are encouraging signs nationwide that the omicron Covid-19 variant surge is on the decline, numbers of new daily cases in Arkansas is double what it was in the previous delta surge, hospitalizations are near record highs straining healthcare systems and workers, and death rates are still at a high level.
“I think people should still be cautious for another couple weeks,” said Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO Clinic. “Mask up wherever you need to. There are still a lot of cases in Carroll County.”
Various states and countries have experienced the omicron surge at different times. Bell said Arkansas and Carroll County are currently lagging behind the country in the state of the surge, and his personal experience is there are still a lot of folks around with Covid.
Deaths generally lag the new cases by about three weeks. Bell said with new cases coming down rapidly, deaths should be coming down later in February.
A new subvariant of omicron is emerging and not much is known about it. Bell said it is hoped that people who were immune with the first omicron will be immune to the new variant. He expects new variants to continue to emerge but said it may soon be time to move from the emergency to the chronic stage of the pandemic.
The lower number of new cases and active infections reported by the state should be considered in light of the fact that hundreds of thousands of home test kits have been distributed free in the state, and most people may not be reporting the results to the state. Some people have reported having problems finding a test kit. Bell said if someone is sick and can’t get tested, they need to isolate themselves.
“I think testing might be overplayed as far as managing Covid,” Bell said. “You can do the right thing without testing. Right now, people are getting colds, Covid or RSV. If you are unable to get tested, assume it is Covid and isolate five days and make sure all the symptoms are gone.”
Eureka Springs Hospital is still seeing high demand for Covid testing. There is outpatient testing by appointment Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (479) 253-7400.
ESH CEO Angie Shaw said requests for Covid testing are keeping hospital testing personnel busy all day long.
“We are still seeing quite a bit of demand,” Shaw said. “For January, we were at a 39 percent positivity rate. They were completely booked today [Jan. 31]. Most of the outpatients who were testing positive have gone home and quarantined. A few people visiting the emergency room were Covid positive, but I believe they were able to go home.”
Some people are going into stores to get cold medicine when they first get Covid, potentially exposing workers and other customers.
“People are treating it like it is a cold,” Shaw said. “They are not taking precautions to protect the community around them. There is still a group of people taking precautions, but there are people who are fed up and don’t care anymore. They have decided they aren’t going to let it ruin their lives. We are seeing more and more of that as time goes on.”
She has noticed less masking and, in particular, many who are masking are using cloth masks or disposable surgical masks which are not as effective blocking the highly contagious omicron strain as an N95 mask.
Shaw recommends people have cold medicine, a thermometer and a pulse oximeter on hand as tools should someone get Covid. She has been surprised at how many people don’t even have a thermometer at home. Pulse oximeters can be purchased for about $20 and can be used to monitor oxygen levels letting someone know when it is time to seek emergency care.
“Some people don’t realize they are in trouble with low oxygen levels until it is time to call 911 because they are in dire need of oxygen,” Shaw said. “People aren’t realizing their oxygen levels are that bad until, all of the sudden, they go into respiratory distress.”
A healthy oxygen level is 95-100 percent.
The hospital held a clinic at Eureka Springs schools Friday, Jan. 28, doing a few first shots, quite a few second shots, and some boosters. The hospital also gave vaccinations as usual at its Friday clinic. Between the school and clinic, about 75 people got shots including a few who came in who are immune compromised who received their second booster shot.
Eureka Springs School Supt. Bryan Pruitt said that as of Jan. 31, there were three positive cases among staff, two of whom were back early, and 12 active cases among students. About 25 students were quarantined because of being in close proximity to someone who tested positive.
“We are on the way down in the number of cases,” Pruitt said. “Things are looking better. Now we have to anticipate what is happening with the weather this week. It looks like Thursday and Friday might be snow days for us. If that happens, it might help get the rest of this virus out of here completely.”
Pruitt said students and staff continue to be health conscious about masks, social distancing when possible, and good sanitation.
As of Feb. 1, Carroll County had 455 active cases of Covid and 330 new cases of Covid in the previous week, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. Arkansas has the tenth highest rate of Covid per population in the country and comes in 46th in the number of residents who are vaccinated.
Free Covid-19 test kits for residents of Arkansas and six others states with high Covid rates are available from the Rockefeller Foundation at accesscovidtests.org/. Free Covid-19 test kits, four per household, are available from the government at covidtests.gov/. Health insurance companies will reimburse policy holders for eight at-home tests per month for each person on the plan.