FORT SMITH - The numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state continue to rise, but the confirmed cases in Sebastian and Crawford Counties continue to stay in the single digits.
The Arkansas Department of Health said as of 5:15 PM on Tuesday, the statewide numbers had risen to 230. Numbers of cases in Sebastian and Crawford Counties respectively are each between one and four in each area.
Governor Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday that he believes that the worst is yet to come for the state.
“In talking to my public health team, they use the language that what we are seeing is the calm before the storm,” Hutchinson said. “I think that what they are saying is that we are on the lower end of the slope as it goes up.”
Two people have died from the outbreak, one identified by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as a 91-year-old Cleburne County resident who passed while receiving treatment at the Conway Regional Medical Center. The other was identified as a man from Sherwood who was 59 years of age at the time of his death.
On a positive note, ten people have met the criteria for recovery from the virus.
The pandemic has infected over 400,000 worldwide, resulting in 18,000 deaths.
