The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 3,124 on Friday.

The state announced 35 new deaths as a result of COVID-19, bringing the toll in the state to 4,263 since the pandemic began.

Of the new cases added Friday, 235 are from Washington County and 277 come from Benton County.

Hospitalizations increased by 19 on Friday, bringing the total number of Arkansans hospitalized with the virus to 1,314. There are 226 Arkansans on ventilators, down 15 from yesterday.

There are currently 25,613 cases of COVID-19 considered active in the state, which includes those that have tested positive by both PCR and antigen testing methods.

The state reported 12,937 new PCR tests on Friday, along with 3,757 new antigen tests.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 267,635 since the pandemic began.

The state announced it has vaccinated 6,827 Arkansans since last count yesterday, bringing the total number of doses given in the state to 119,065. In addition, a federal program to vaccinate long-term care residents resulted in an additional 557 people in the state.

The state is still vaccinating the 1-A priority group which includes health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Local pharmacies, including Collier Drug, Medical Arts Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy in Fayetteville are taking appointments for the 1-B priority group now, including residents 70 and older and some education workers. Most education workers will be vaccinated through their employer.

Here are links/info for the waiting lists for pharmacies in NWA for the early 1-B group:
» Collier Drug Stores – Email [email protected]
» Medical Arts Pharmacy – Visit this website
» Community Pharmacy – Visit this website

A lost of other pharmacies around the state vaccinating right now is available here.

The top counties for new cases announced Friday were Pulaski (327), Benton (277), Washington (235), Faulkner (164), and Sebastian (163.)

Case reports

Vaccine updates