The number of coronavirus cases in Arkansas continued to grow Saturday, reaching 118, as Gov. Asa Hutchinson warned that the spread of the virus likely will not abate for at least another six to eight weeks.
At the time the virus reaches its potential peak in early May, the governor said, officials predict that about 1,000 Arkansans will be hospitalized with covid-19. Thirteen of the current cases have needed hospitalization.
"This number strains our hospitals, our medical system and our economy, and it endangers lives," Hutchinson said. "Our goal, as you know, is to flatten the peak and to reduce the spread of covid-19."
Dr. Nate Smith, the director of the Department of Health, declined to estimate a figure for how many Arkansans could become infected, though he said models in other states have offered ranges of between 27% and 45% of the population.
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Many of those infected are unlikely to become sick enough to seek outside treatment, health officials have said. The virus is believed to be especially hazardous for the elderly and those with existing health conditions.
Of the 118 confirmed cases in Arkansas on Saturday, 32 were senior citizens over the age of 65, and nine were children. Of the 13 patients who are in hospitals, seven needed intensive care and four required ventilators, Smith said.
Two more cases were confirmed Saturday at nursing homes in Little Rock and Pine Bluff.
Fort Smith, the state's second-largest city, confirmed its first case of covid-19 Saturday.
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In a statement posted on Facebook, Fort Smith Mayor George McGill said "this is the time to follow the directions of the leaders that you have put in place."
"We have had hard times before, adversity is not new to us," the mayor's statement continued. "But, we also know how to respond. We know how to put our shoulders to the grindstone and work together to care for one another."
The virus has now been reported in 26 of the state's 75 counties. Pulaski and Cleburne counties reported the highest numbers of cases, with between 20 and 30 patients in each.
Since the state's first case was identified in Pine Bluff on March 11, the governor has put in place measures intended to slow the spread of the virus.
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Those precautions have included closing schools and casinos, canceling schools' annual exams, and ordering that restaurants and bars halt dine-in service. But on Saturday, even as governors in Illinois, New York and Connecticut were ordering residents to stay home and for all but the most essential businesses to close, Hutchinson did not announce any new restrictions.
"If we do what we're supposed to do in terms of social distancing and taking care of ourselves and each other, then we will meet our goal, we will reduce that trend line, and we won't have to go to those extreme measures," Hutchinson said.
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Hutchinson added that he was in ongoing discussions with officials at the Department of Finance and Administration about possibly extending the April 15 deadline to file and pay state income taxes.
The IRS on Friday extended the federal tax filing deadline until July. However, Hutchinson noted that while the federal government's fiscal year extends until October, the state's fiscal year ends June 30.
The losses in state revenue from an economic slowdown could reach $100 million or more, Hutchinson said Saturday.
Lawmakers are set to open their biennial fiscal legislative session on April 8. Neither Hutchinson nor legislative leaders said Saturday that they expected the start of the session to be delayed, though they suggested that its length could be extended to keep lawmakers from meeting frequently during the height of the pandemic.
"Our intent is to convene on April 8," said House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado. "As for our schedule, that remains to be seen."
As the number of confirmed cases in Arkansas has continued to increase, so has the state's ability to test suspected cases.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Chancellor Cam Patterson said at a news conference with the governor Saturday that the medical center in Little Rock expects to increase its testing capacity from about 240 tests per day as of Saturday to more than 700 tests per day this week.
"We need supplies; we need test kits," Patterson told reporters. "I wish that we had all of the supplies and test kits that we needed when this began nine, 10 days ago. We rely on our local resources, but we're also dependent on the federal government to help us get those in our hands."
Smith said during the news briefing that access to personal protective equipment for health care workers is "a major issue."
The Health Department is taking steps to address shortages, and in the meantime, workers should try to conserve the equipment they have, he said.
"Protect yourselves, but don't be wasteful," he said.
Hutchinson announced Saturday that he'd signed an executive order authorizing the Department of Finance and Administration to spend $30 million on more equipment.
Across the country, some health care workers are running low on personal protective gear.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended "extended use" of face masks, which means face masks can be used for repeated close-contact encounters with different patients.
The Arkansas Department of Health has published guidelines on extended use of such equipment.
Metro on 03/22/2020