Arkansas Health officials confirm two people being tested for the coronavirus disease
March 9-15, 2020
By Daily Record Staff
Only days after Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared no Arkansan had yet tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the state Department of Health’s (ADH) Public Health Laboratory on Monday confirmed it is testing two people for the rapidly spreading that has killed 3,000 people across the globe.
ADH officials said these two people are considered persons under investigation (PUI), which means that person has been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further evaluation and consultation. Arkansas health officials in the state lab now has the capability to test for COVID-19, but negative test results indicate the person does not have COVID-19.
“Positive test results still need to be confirmed by the CDC,” ADH official said. “Tests will be performed according to PUI guidance as determined by the CDC.”
The first-of-the-week developments followed Hutchinson’s press conference with state public health and emergency management officials at the State Capitol on Friday (Feb. 28) to discuss Arkansas’ preparation plan and strategy to address COVID-19. Hutchinson said more than two months ago, ADH designated 74 of its employees to work exclusively on COVID-19.
“These doctors, nurses, and other agency employees communicate regularly with local, state and federal partners. So far, we don’t have a confirmed case,” Hutchinson said in his weekly address. “The Department of Health considers every report significant and will work with the appropriate partners to investigate each. In the event there is a confirmed case, the department will publicize that information as soon as possible. The health of the general public is its first responsibility.”
While Arkansas still has no confirmed cases as of March 2, the CDC and public health officials said the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. is “is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation” that continues to be updated each day. For example, there are now at least 10 states reporting coronavirus cases, including 18 positive confirmed cases and sixth deaths in the state of Washington.
According to Washington State health officials, there are now 231 people under public health supervision, including those at risk of having been exposed to novel coronavirus. As of March 2, Washington, Florida and California have declared states of emergency to help their states prevent further spread of the respiratory illness.
CDC officials said while there is still much to learn about the unfolding situations across the U.S., preliminary information raises the level of concern about the immediate threat for COVID-19 for other communities. The coronavirus outbreak first started in Wuhan, China, but cases have been identified in a growing number of other locations internationally.
Moving forward, ADH officials said updates on numbers of PUIs being tested and travelers being monitored for COVID-19 will be available on the ADH website by 3 p.m. every day.
According to the CDC, the 13 states that have reported cases include: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The CDC’s official count doesn’t include the 49 Americans with the COVID-19 virus who have been repatriated from outbreaks in Wuhan, China, and aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. All together, there are at least 129 cases in the U.S.
As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to expand and as testing capacity in the U.S. increases, CDC expects more cases to be detected across the country, including more instances of person-to-person spread in more states.