Covid cases decline

As numbers continue to decline, Blytheville Mayor James Sanders reported 93 active covid cases in Mississippi County in his Wednesday report.

The decline has remained constant throughout the month of February after cases exceed 1,000 during January. Sanders added that 38,397 doses of the covid vaccination have been within the county, bringing the vaccination rate to 42 percent.

The decrease in cases is trending across the state as Arkansas now holds 8,970 cases, down from 14,552 in the previous week. In surrounding counties, 297 cases were reported in Craighead, 128 in Greene, 108 in Poinsett and 73 in Crittenden.

“Our numbers are going down, but this has not gone away,” Sanders said. “Remember to keep up with your surroundings as we navigate our way through the pandemic. It’s all about whether or not we drop our guard and allow ourselves to be infected with covid. Still remain vigilant.”

He added, “Spring is not too far away. One thing we don’t want to do is find ourselves in the hospital during that time when usually people are coming together.”

County health officer Dr. Valencia Andrews-Pirtle echoed the importance of remaining cautious to ensure case continue to decline. “We’re doing a lot better but I think we should still wear our masks,” Pirtle said. “I’m going to keep saying that until this thing is gone.”

She went on to warn against a recent rise in syphilis cases in the community. “We were warned as county health officers back in December that there’s been an increase in syphilis cases.We’re seeing a lot of it in our community and it’s getting worse. There were [approximately] 51 cases in our county in 2021. It’s important because people may not know they have it and there’s a secondary stage that if you simply shake someone’s hand you can contract it if you have an open sore,” Pirtle said.