The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 1,707 on Friday.
The state also announced 47 new deaths as a result of the virus, bringing the toll in the state to 4,831 since the pandemic began.
Of the new cases added Friday, 147 are from Washington County and 171 come from Benton County.
Hospitalizations were down 45, bringing the total number of Arkansans hospitalized with the virus to 951. There are 144 Arkansans on ventilators, up one from yesterday.
There are currently 17,326 cases of COVID-19 considered active in the state, which includes those that have tested positive by both PCR and antigen testing methods.
Overall, active cases and hospitalizations have been generally on the decline this week. Active cases are down 13.8% from last Friday, and hospitalizations are down 16.7% from numbers recorded a week ago.
The state reported 13,027 new PCR tests on Friday, along with 3,565 new antigen tests.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 292,563 since the pandemic began.
The state announced it has vaccinated 15,058 Arkansans since last count yesterday, bringing the total number of doses given in the state to 270,332. In addition, a federal program to vaccinate long-term care residents resulted in an additional 2,188 people vaccinated in the state.
The state began vaccinating the 1-B priority group last week, which includes individuals over 70 years of age, and workers in education including higher ed, K-12, and daycare. Local pharmacies, including Collier Drug, Medical Arts Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy in Fayetteville will vaccinate those in the 70 and older group, and some education workers. Others will be vaccinated through mass clinics organized by their employers.
Here are links/info for the waiting lists for pharmacies in NWA for the 1-A and early 1-B group:
» Collier Drug Stores – Email [email protected]
» Medical Arts Pharmacy – Visit this website
» Community Pharmacy – Visit this website
» Heartland Pharmacy – Visit this website
A list of other pharmacies around the state vaccinating right now is available here.
The top counties for new cases announced Friday were Pulaski (271), Benton (171), Washington (147), Sebastian (89), and Faulkner (74).
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