Covid ticks upward in Craighead County

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - A contagious variant of Covid could be the culprit of a spike in Craighead County.

According to the Arkansas Department of Health website, Craighead County is one of the counties with the most new cases with a total of 201.

Dr. Tasha Starks, director of physician marketing at St. Bernards, said the spike is in part due to the holidays. She said a spike is always expected after the holidays.

Another reason is a variant of the virus, XBB.1.5, aka Kraken, is also making its rounds around the county.

“It’s not causing any increase, particularly in deaths, but it is much more contagious,” she said. “That may be another reason why we’re seeing increased numbers again after the holidays.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases and hospitalizations are trending downward nationwide.

Dr. Starks said even though the variant isn’t necessarily increasing deaths, people should still consider getting the vaccine and masking up.

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