Covid report

Mississippi County saw another significant decrease in covid-19 active cases in the past week. In the Wednesday report, Blytheville mayor James Sanders reported 645 cases, compared to 969 in the previous week.

Still, county health officer Valencia Andrews Pirtle noted that there could be additional cases that haven’t been reported after at-home testing.

She also reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated to help eradicate the virus.

“Even though our cases seem to be decreasing, which is great, we have cases that are not being reported,” Pirtle said. “There are people calling us that are sick but they're scared to go to the hospital, or or just not going. So there are cases that haven’t been reported and we have to think about that too. The longer this crazy virus hangs around, the easier it is for it to keep tweaking itself and making another variant.”

Sanders added, “This is not over. There are folks, for whatever reason again, who are not vaccinated and children we are not as well. We need to be mindful of the people around us and wear our masks. And most importantly, if you could and would, get vaccinated to protect your family and the people around you.”

Pirtle also further described the timeline that should be utilized with conducting the at-home, rapid tests.

She stated that if no symptoms are present after testing positive, the isolation period has been cut to five days.

“It’s now based mainly on whether or not you have a fever,” Pirtle said.

She also added, “If you’re vaccinated and you’ve been around someone who tested positive, you do not test until five days later. If you test too soon, you won’t [detect] as positive. But five days out from then, you can test [more accurately].”

Test kits from the state health department are still available at city hall. Additionally, kits can be ordered federally, online at covidtests.org.

Surrounding counties in northeast Arkansas also saw a decrease in cases. In the past week, Craighead County dropped from 3,178 to 1,968, Crittenden County shrunk from 891 to 473 and Poinsett County decreased from 691 to 528.