UPDATE: More than a quarter of the new non-prison covid-19 cases reported in Arkansas overnight are from the Forrest City area, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday.
It's a concerning trend, but not yet a troubling one, Hutchinson told reporters at his daily report on the coronavirus.
As of Tuesday, hospitalizations have reached 59, an overnight drop of two. Deaths have increased by one to 95, the governor said. Recoveries have reached 3,220, a rise of 71 since Monday.
Arkansas reached 4,164 infections as of Tuesday, an increase of 121, he said. Twenty-one of those new cases are prison inmates, while the remaining 100 are in the community.
But 27 of those 100 are around Forrest City, the St. Francis County home of the state's federal prison, Hutchinson said. Authorities have been concerned the prison-centered outbreak could spread to the surrounding community, he said, emphasizing the importance of residents following distancing and masking health protocols to limit the spread of the infection.
"I want to make sure that everyone there in Forrest City knows the importance of sticking with our social guidelines and distancing and wearing of masks for their own protection and the protection of others because we don't want this spike to become larger," he said.
Occasional spikes are to be expected, particularly as testing increases, so the Forrest City increase is not alarming, Hutchinson said.
"What is worrisome is if you have sequential days that continue to go up," he said.
The state is focusing on stopping those spikes from becoming a viral outbreak by continuing to adhere to federal prevention guidelines, he said.
"We are working hard to make sure those little spikes that we see do not become ... outbreaks or a resurgence," Hutchinson said.
Dr. Nate Smith, state secretary of health, also addressed the increasing infections in Forrest City at Tuesday's news conference. St. Francis County residents need to make every effort get tested for the virus, he said.
"This is a community I'm concerned about," he said, warning against plans for a graduation party Friday in Forrest City."That probably isn't a good idea in a community where we know we now have community transmission of covid-19 at higher levels than many other communities."
He said federal prison workers in particular need to make sure they get tested. The state's testing capability has significantly increased so there are plenty of options to get checked out, Smith told reporters.
"We've got the testing capacity," Smith said. "What we need now is for people in the community ... to come forward to get tested."
He said no one should be comfortable with the situation until everyone with symptoms and everyone exposed has been tested.
"I am concerned about this increase in the number of cases, the 100 in the community especially, but I'm even more concerned about the cases we don't know about and that's why it's so important that we increase testing," Smith said. "We really need to know who's positive, who's negative, who's been exposed and who's not been exposed."
The governor also announced that Arkansas has received a 50-patient supply of remdesivir, a medication that has received emergency approval to be used in acute virus cases.
-- John Lynch
EARLIER: Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state health officials will provide an update on Arkansas' covid-19 response at 1:30 p.m. Check back to watch the live video.
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