LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Governor Asa Hutchinson and acting Department of Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero announced Thursday (July 30) that pre-surgery COVID-19 tests will no longer be required for elective surgeries in Arkansas.
Dr. Romero said the state will now leave the decision up to individual physicians and institutions on whether or not they will test patients for COVID-19 before elective surgeries.
Dr. Romero says that data from the last two months indicates that the statewide directive was not necessary.
“We think that it is prudent in some cases because of the prevalence of the disease and in some communities that physicians still consider, still consider testing their patients before surgery. Institutions and individual surgeons can make that decision with their patients,” Dr. Romero said.
Dr. Romero later said that the positivity rate for patients was well under 1%. The governor says that number came from collecting results from doctors around the state.
Gov. Hutchinson also announced an additional 14 Arkansas National Guard members will be dispersed help with the huge workload at the state health department. 28 National Guard personnel have assisted at Washington Regional and other facilities
As of July 30, there are an additional 791 COVID-19 cases in the state, totaling 41,559.
There are 504 people hospitalized, a decrease of four.
Eight more people have died, totaling 442, and 101 patients are on ventilators, a decrease of seven.
There are 6,580 active cases in the state and 5,598 people have been tested in the last 24 hours.
Top Arkansas counties with more than 20 new COVID-19 cases as of July 30:
- Pulaski: 73
- Sebastian: 57
- Benton: 47
- Garland: 44
- Washington: 37
- Independence: 34
- Jefferson: 31
- Pope: 30
- Craighead: 29
- Mississippi: 23
- Faulkner: 21
Click here to view COVID-19 cases by city.
