National News

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More Coronavirus Symptoms Added to CDC List

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently added some new symptoms of the coronavirus to its current list.

Watch for symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • Fever or chills

  • Cough

  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

  • Fatigue

  • Muscle or body aches

  • Headache

  • New loss of taste or smell

  • Sore throat

  • Congestion or runny nose

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

Congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea were added to the list of fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell and sore throat.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Symptoms

When to Seek Emergency Medical Attention Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately *This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.


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UAMS Develops High-Accuracy COVID-19 Antibody Testing

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The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced Thursday it has developed and is using high-accuracy antibody testing to determine the magnitude of COVID-19 infection in Arkansas and inform the decisions of policymakers.

UAMS will collect blood samples from nearly 7,500 Arkansas adults and children through October. By early August, a robotic-assisted immunoassay machine will help process 2,500 samples per day for workplace, school and other community settings. UAMS researchers are now processing only up to 180 samples per day by hand.

The $3.3 million to support the testing program comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act approved by Congress to provide aid to individuals, businesses and state and local governments in response to the pandemic.

According to the UAMS statement, COVID-19 antibody testing looks back into the immune system’s history. A positive antibody test means the person was exposed to the virus and developed antibodies against the virus.

UAMS Begins 'High-Accuracy' COVID-19 Testing, Boost Processing Numbers

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced Thursday it has developed and is using high-accuracy antibody testing to determine the magnitude of COVID-19 infection in Arkansas and inform the decisions of policymakers. UAMS will collect blood samples from nearly 7,500 Arkansas adults and children through October.

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Neighboring Texas COVID-19 Cases Rise Substantially

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The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 5,489 new cases and Governor Abbott said the hospitalization rate is at an all-time high.

Texas is seeing a sharp rise in cases; it was just days ago that the state crossed the 4,000-case mark for the first time in its daily tally.

The Houston area has been hit so hard that the Texas Children's Hospital is now admitting adult patients. The move comes despite the fact that Houston is home to the massive Texas Medical Center — deemed the largest medical center in the world. Those diagnosed with the coronavirus are being cared for in an expanded special isolation unit, according to Texas Children's Hospital.

Texas now has 120,370 cases, trailing New York, California, New Jersey and Illinois.

5,489 New COVID-19 Cases: Texas Reports All-Time Daily High

Update at 6:02 p.m. ET "Today, Texas will report an all-time high in the number of cases of people testing positive" for the coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday, adding that for the first time, his state would surpass 5,000 new cases in a single day.



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Visitors To Arkansas State Parks Now Have Passport Option

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By DAVID MONTEITH 

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Visitors to any of the Arkansas state parks now have the option to add stamps to a park passport. The new program was announced last week. Grady Spann, the director of Arkansas State Parks, says other park systems around the county have similar programs.

Passport booklets can be picked up and stamped at any of the state's 46 parks that have active park rangers on duty at visitor's centers. Stamps are available at the remaining six parks via medallions that visitors can use to create rubbings in their passport books. Spann says he hopes the new incentive helps maintain the increase in usage the parks have seen in the last few months.

The state's parks have received around 1.7 million visitors since the middle of March, when many indoor facilities were closed as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The offerings at some parks remain limited or closed while the state is in Phase Two of re-opening, per Governor Asa Hutchinson's mandates. Group lodging at several parks are closed. All playgrounds are closed. Masks are required in indoor venues, and public swimming areas are operating at 50% capacity. Despite these limitations, Spann says the parks are receiving significantly more visitors than normal. Hiking and camping are unrestricted.

Visitors To Arkansas State Parks Now Have Passport Option

Visitors to any of the Arkansas state parks now have the option to add stamps to a park passport. The new program was announced last week. Grady Spann, the director of Arkansas State Parks, says other park systems around the county have similar programs. "The national parks do have a passport program, as do other state's park systems around the nation.

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Arkansas Unemployment Rate Falls To 9.5% In May

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By SARAH KELLOGG

For the first time in months, Arkansas’s unemployment has dropped, though the number of those unemployed still remains higher than before the coronavirus pandemic hit the state. 

Arkansas’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.5% in May, around 1.3% lower than its April percentage of 10.8%. The decrease in unemployment follows the national trend, though the United States’ jobless rate is almost 4% higher at a rate of 13.3%.

According to numbers from the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, over 46,000 Arkansans gained employment in the month of May, a result the division says is due to the partial re-opening of the state’s economy.

Arkansas Unemployment Rate Falls To 9.5% In May

For the first time in months, Arkansas's unemployment has dropped, though the number of those unemployed still remains higher than before the coronavirus pandemic hit the state. Arkansas's unemployment rate dropped to 9.5% in May, around 1.3% lower than its April percentage of 10.8%.

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NPR: China Suspends Poultry Imports From Tyson Foods Plant In Arkansas

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NPR
June 21, 2020 12:18 PM ET
JASON SLOTKIN

China is halting the import of poultry from a Tyson Foods plant in Arkansas following an outbreak of coronavirus cases at the facility.

Tyson Foods confirmed to NPR that the announcement pertains to its Berry Street facility in Springdale, Ark., where 227 workers tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month. All but four of them were asymptomatic, according to Tyson.

The company said that tests of its facilities in northwest Arkansas showed that 481 employees, or 13% of 3,748 employees, had tested positive. The company said 455 of those employees (95%) were asymptomatic.

China Suspends Poultry Imports From Tyson Foods Plant In Arkansas

China is halting the import of poultry from a Tyson Foods plant in Arkansas following an outbreak of coronavirus cases at the facility. The nation's General Administration of Customs office made the announcement on Sunday, saying shipments from the plant would be temporarily suspended, while products that have already arrived will be seized.


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Friday's COVID-19 Maps and Numbers from the Arkansas Department of Health

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COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
  Total Positive: 506
  Active Positive: 157
  Recovered: 344
  Deaths: 5
  Negatives: 2,766

COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
  Total Positive: 47
  Active Positive: 13
  Recovered: 34
  Deaths: 0
  Negatives: 894

COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
  Total Positive: 34
  Active Positive: 6
  Recovered: 28
  Deaths: 0
  Negatives: 760

COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
  Total Positive: 60
  Active Positive: 17
  Recovered: 43
  Deaths: 0
  Negatives: 1,027

COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
  Total Positive: 7
  Active Positive: 1
  Recovered: 6
  Deaths: 0
  Negatives: 1,273

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AP: Tyson Cooperating with Feds in Price-Fixing Investigation

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By DEE-ANN DURBIN (AP)
June 11, 2020

Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc. said it was served with a grand jury subpoena in April 2019 from the U.S. Department of Justice. Tyson said it conducted an internal investigation and turned over information to the Department of Justice. Tyson also said it is seeking a formal grant of leniency, which would mean that neither the company or its executives would face criminal fines or jail time.Last week, four current and former executives at Pilgrim’s Pride and Claxton Poultry Farms — including Pilgrim’s Pride President and CEO Jayson Penn — were indicted on charges of price fixing as a result of the long-running investigation.

Claxton said last week that the charges are without merit and it will vigorously defend itself. Pilgrim’s Pride said it is cooperating with the investigation. “Tyson Foods is committed to competing vigorously, honestly and in compliance with the letter and the spirit of the antitrust laws and respects the important role that the Department of Justice plays in enforcing these laws,” the company said in a statement.

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Pilgrim’s Pride Cooperation is also cooperating with a Justice Department investigation of alleged price fixing by suppliers to restaurant buyers. Chief executive of Pilgrim’s, Jayson Penn, has begun a leave of absence. Fabio Sandri will serve as interim CEO and president during Penn’s trial. Three executives from other companies, including Claston Poultry Farms, were indicted on the price-fixing charges according the Justice Department. All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.