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Governor continues to stress importance of residents getting vaccine

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LITTLE ROCK — In his 200th COVID briefing since the pandemic began, Gov. Asa Hutchinson continued to stress the importance of getting vaccinated against the virus on Tuesday.

The governor displayed a chart showing the difference in case rates by age group in January 2021 and August 2021 in relation to each group’s vaccination rate.

In children under 12, who aren’t currently eligible to receive the vaccine, the cases in August 2021 were 92 percent higher than in January 2021.

In people 65 and older, of which 70.2 percent are fully vaccinated, there were 42 percent fewer cases in August than in January.

“This really makes the case for vaccinations,” the governor said. “As the vaccination rates increase, the case rates decrease in every age group.”

Secretary of Health Dr.

Jose Romero said the state continues “make progress in regards to immunizations in the 12-18 age group,” noting 47 percent of that population had received one dose and 34.7 percent are fully vaccinated as of Wednesday.

“It is very important that these children continue to receive vaccines and that we try to immunize that entire population. It also points out the importance of the masks in school,” Dr. Romero said. “For the younger individuals, for those under 12 years of age, we have no vaccine at this time so it’s very important that masks be used in school in order to limit the spread. These have been shown to be effective in preventing infections and in limiting the spread of the virus within a closed setting. I can tell you from personal experience, they work.

They clearly work.”

The state reported 1,544 new cases on Weednesday.

Hospitalizations were down by 16, leaving 1,097 in Arkansas hospitals with COVID. The governor said the state had 33 ICU beds available as of Tuesday afternoon. Of those, “at least 14” are for COVID patients, he said.

The state reported 36 more deaths, bringing its COVID death toll to 7,334 people.

Since Wednesday, 6,771 more Arkansans received a vaccine.

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ASU System Board hears campus updates on pandemic, enrollment

JONESBORO — Chancellors at Arkansas State University System campuses gave the Board of Trustees updates on the continuing impact of COVID-19 on operations and enrollment for the semester.

“We’re not quite as normal as we would like to be, but we have been as successful as we could be,” System President Chuck Welch said. “We appreciate the effort you took to allow for face coverings. We’re making sure students are as safe as possible and want to ensure they have the best learning experience possible. Overall we’re just pleased it’s not any worse than it is.”

Chancellors reported having a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases.

Arkansas State University Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said 39 students and employees were in isolation and that mask mandates in classrooms and indoor spaces have helped minimize numbers.

More than 80 percent of faculty and 70 percent of staff at A-State report being fully vaccinated, he added, along with 90 percent of student-athletes.

Welch said students have returned to A-State’s Campus Queretaro in Mexico and that residence halls there are full for the first time. The campus had its first commencement ceremony in August with 50 students. Its fall enrollment of nearly 900 students represents a 14 percent increase in freshmen and a 20 percent increase overall, he said.

ASU System institutions reported total preliminary 11th day fall enrollment of 25,212, which is 2.1 percent lower than the fall 2020 preliminary total. AState total enrollment is flat but with a 4.5 percent increase in freshmen, as well as increases in transfer and international students.

Chancellors noted that enrollment numbers will rise throughout the fall and that traditional 11th day reports are a snapshot in time that don’t reflect changes in traditional enrollment periods.

ASU Three Rivers saw a 27 percent enrollment increase thanks to 470 new students attending the Saline County Career & Technical Center campus.

ASU-Beebe, in partnership with the Lonoke School District, is offering classes and training at the new state-of-the-art Lonoke Business Academy.

Welch and System Executive Vice President Julie Bates reported on improvements in Henderson’s financial condition while acknowledging ongoing challenges such as enrollment and debt.

Henderson’s FY2020 audit has been approved and the FY2021 audit is expected in December. The institution paid $250,000 toward its state advance in FY2021, and Moody’s Investor Services upgraded Henderson’s bond rating outlook from negative to stable following the merger with the ASU System.

Cash on hand improved from seven days in June 2019 to 38 days in June 2020, while operating expenses decreased from $64 million in FY2019 to $61.9 million in FY2020.

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