The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 516 on Friday.
The state also announced 10 new deaths as a result of the virus, bringing the toll in the state to 5,407 since the pandemic began.
Hospitalizations were down by 18, bringing the total number of Arkansans hospitalized in the state to 504. There are 98 patients on ventilators, down 10 from yesterday.
There are currently 4,479 cases of COVID-19 considered active in the state, which includes those that have tested positive by both PCR and antigen testing methods.
The ADH dashboard currently lists 348 active cases in Washington County, with 439 cases currently active in Benton County.
The state reported 6,443 new PCR tests on Friday, along with 1,640 new antigen tests.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 318,638 since the pandemic began.
The top counties for new cases on Friday were Pulaski (75), Benton (54), Sebastian (28), Washington (25), and Garland (20).
The state announced it has vaccinated 20,818 Arkansans since last count yesterday, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 560,854. In addition, a federal program to vaccinate long-term care residents and others at retail pharmacies resulted in an additional 3,324 people vaccinated in the state, bringing the total number of Arkansans vaccinated as part of their efforts to 41,805.
Vaccinations have picked up the last two days after almost grinding to snails pace last week due to the winter storm. According to the NY Times, Arkansas is now ranked the 41st state nationally among states in vaccine distribution with just about 13% of the population receiving at least one shot and about 6.6% of the population considered fully vaccinated.
The state began vaccinating the 1-B priority group on Jan. 18, which currently includes individuals over 65 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 Washington County 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
» Walmart / Sam’s Club Pharmacy
A list of other pharmacies around the state vaccinating right now is available here.
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