The COVID - 19 metrics for Hot Springs and Garland County continue to look good , according to County Health Officer Dr . Gene Shelby .
   The Hot Springs/Garland County COVID - 19 Task Force is meeting monthly and did not convene this week , but Shelby provided his weekly COVID - 19 statistic update electronically to the group .
   For the week of March 27 – April 3 , the statistics from the Arkansas Department of Health ( ADH ) were all current as the department completed adding old reports on the previous week .
   There were only 21 new cases added last week , or an average of three cases per day , down significantly from the previous week’s 21 . 3 daily average . With 422 recorded tests , the positivity rate dropped down to 5% . Shelby pointed out that both the weekly new case count statistic and positivity rate have not hit such low marks since May 2021 . The number of active cases remained stable at 34 , as of the morning of Monday , April 4 , which was only up one from last week . There were two COVID - related deaths recorded , bringing the cumulative total to 505 , but Shelby said these two were likely from weeks ago .
   Shelby said that the BA . 2 omicron sub - variant is assumed to be the main form of COVID circulating . “With it being so infectious , we have to be alert for an increasing number of cases , but we aren’t seeing that now , ” he said .
   The big news from the past week was that the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a second booster dose available for everyone over the age of 50 and for those who are immunocompromised . He noted that some public health officials are recommending it for those over the age of 65 .  
   For continued COVID - 19 updates . . .
   

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