Current COVID-19 Update: August 18

Local active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have significantly improved. As of today, Wednesday, August 18, there are 26 COVID-19 patients currently admitted at Baxter Regional, with 10 in ICU and 7 on a ventilator. There are also 24 Baxter Regional employees out with COVID-19, at home and in isolation. According to the Arkansas Department of Health, there are 362 active COVID-19 cases in Baxter County, and vaccination numbers continue to climb, with 37.2% of the population of Baxter County being fully vaccinated.

Additional statistics from Baxter Regional:
• 92.3% of 26 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized are not vaccinated.
• 88.9% of 316 COVID-19 patients hospitalized since March 1, 2021, were not vaccinated.
• 83.6% of 61 COVID-19 deaths since March 1, 2021, were not vaccinated.

Late last week, FDA modified the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines to allow for administration of an additional dose (i.e., a third dose or booster) after an initial 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series. It is currently available for certain immunocompromised people, but COVID-19 boosters will be available in late September for anyone who has been previously vaccinated. We are developing a plan to meet the need of supplying these boosters and will keep the community updated.

An additional dose should be considered now for people with moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition or receipt of immunosuppressive medications or treatments. These conditions and treatments include but are not limited to:
• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
• Receipt of T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs and cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive.

People with questions about whether they qualify for a third dose should reach out to their primary care physician.

Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are eligible, please consider a COVID-19 vaccine. Local vaccine administration sites continue to offer initial vaccines and are now offering boosters for immunocompromised people that qualify. A list of all local vaccine locations is available on our website at www.baxterregional.org/vaccine.

Baxter Health locations include:
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines (aged 12 and older)
To request an appointment, call the COVID-19 Resource Line at (870) 508-7001.
• Baxter Regional Internal Medicine & Infectious Disease Clinic
• Baxter Regional Family Clinic on Market

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines (for previously established patients only aged 18 and older)
Please call each clinic to schedule a vaccine appointment.
• Baxter Regional Ahrens Clinic, (870) 449-4221
• Baxter Regional Family Clinic, (870) 425-6212
• Hometown Clinic Family Practice on Main, Mountain View, (870) 269-7414
• Hometown Clinic at Mountain View, (870) 269-3447
• Hometown Clinic at Melbourne, (870) 916-2150
• Hometown Clinic at Calico Rock, (870) 916-2000

Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in our area, Baxter Regional has once again postponed the Friday Night Live Magnet Celebration scheduled for September 3. With the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, we will wait until 2022 to officially reschedule it. We look forward to celebrating in person with activities, food trucks, live music, and more when it is safe to do so as a community.

Although the situation is improving, we encourage people of all ages to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and continue using precautions, remembering the basic 3 Ws: wash your hands, watch your distance and wear your mask. It's important to remember that those with COVID-19 may be contagious two days before symptoms are present, so please use these precautions at all times!

Remember the Baxter Regional COVID-19 Resource Line at (870) 508-7001 is an easy way to access all our COVID-19 services using just one phone number. Anyone in the community may call to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 test, vaccine or monoclonal antibodies infusion with provider's order, donate items for our staff, make a monetary donation to Baxter Regional Hospital Foundation or reach the COVID-19 Hotline.

For more information and regular local updates on COVID-19, visit www.baxterregional.org/coronavirus.