COVID-hospitalizations in Northwest Arkansas hit a record high of 117 on Dec. 9, the executive director for Mercy NWA and the Northwest Arkansas Health Care Community said today.

From Martine Pollard:

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Today, we are caring for the highest number of patients in our NWA hospital COVID units since the pandemic began. We are caring for 117 patients, surpassing our July 7 high of 113. We are barely two weeks out from Thanksgiving and upcoming holiday celebrations are just days and weeks apart. This gives us pause and significant concern that our hospitalizations will continue to rise, and we will be in a very tough staffing situation.

 

While we are hopeful about the COVID-19 vaccine, the reality is, we are in a second surge with significant community spread and hospitalizations. If we want to prevent overstressing our healthcare systems and workers, everyone must follow the guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Tell that to the protesters who greeted Governor Hutchinson in Springdale yesterday who based on zero evidence except what they hear from right-wing nut-job disseminators of myth believe that wearing a mask to slow the spread of the virus is a communist plot. An article in the Democrat-Gazette quoted a woman who says Hutchinson is wrong about the efficacy of masks because he’s not a doctor and Dr. Jose Romero, the state secretary of health, is wrong because he’s not elected. Where do you go with that sort of logic? The ICU, that’s where.

Benton and Washington counties saw 302 new cases Dec. 9, or 17% of all cases in Arkansas. The hospitalized number of 117 is four higher than Dec. 8. They account for almost 42% of the 724 people hospitalized in the two counties.

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