Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was joined by members of his cabinet to update citizens on the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic on Friday. Listen to the address in full here:
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — At his weekly news briefing Friday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson expressed his support for the people of Ukraine, as they defend the current invasion from Russia. He also provided an update on COVID-19 in Arkansas.
Gov. Hutchinson started by addressing the invasion of Ukraine from Russia and noted that we must stand with Ukraine, as they begin their fight to retain their sovereignty.
“The United States needs to be clear in its unequivocal support for Ukraine,” Gov. Hutchinson said. “We need to be clear of our condemnation of Russia, and we must impose the most severe sanctions that are available.”
COVID-19
After switching to weekly reports for COVID-19 in Arkansas, the state has seen numbers continue to decline which the governor said is a positive sign.
Active cases in Arkansas have decreased to 7,500 total. There were 1,630 new cases since Tuesday. Since Tuesday there have been 76 more deaths.
Vaccinations have slowed with an increase of 3,865 doses since Tuesday. Hospitalizations decreased by 120, and the number of patients on
ventilators decreased by 13.
Gov. Hutchinson noted he talked with Dr. Rochelle Walensky from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about new guidelines that the CDC will release later Friday. He said that we need to move to a more normal state and away from the pandemic, and he hopes the new CDC guidelines will reflect that idea.