Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 cases increase by 325 Wednesday


The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 325 on Wednesday.

The state also announced 14 new deaths as a result of the virus, bringing the toll in the state to 5,481 since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations were up by 3, bringing the total number of Arkansans hospitalized in the state to 260. There are 54 patients on ventilators, down 4 from yesterday.

There are currently 2,808 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 6,301 new PCR tests on Wednesday, along with 1,261 new antigen tests.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 327,781 since the pandemic began.

The top counties for new cases on Wednesday were Pulaski (35), Washington (35), Benton (22), Sebastian (20) and Miller (13).


Vaccine update

The state announced it has vaccinated 14,039 Arkansans since last count yesterday, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 795,387. In addition, a federal program to vaccinate at retail pharmacies resulted in an additional 2,431 people vaccinated in the state, bringing the total number of Arkansans vaccinated as part of their efforts to 84,963.

The state is now vaccinating individuals in the 1-A through 1-C priority groups on the state. The groups eligible to receive vaccines includes individuals over 65 years of age, workers in food manufacturing, and workers in education including higher ed, K-12, and daycare, essential workers in food and agriculture, grocery stores, meal delivery, postal service, public transit, government workers, houses of worship, along with those with developmental disabilities. As mentioned above, the 1-C group added today includes essential workers in several categories including energy, finance, food service, IT and communication, legal, media, public health/human services, public safety, shelter and housing, and transportation and logistis, along with and those with pre-existing conditions aged 16-64, and people living in congregate settings.

Local pharmacies, including Collier Drug, Medical Arts Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy in Fayetteville are working to vaccinate those groups now, as are several Walmart and Sam’s Club locations around the state.

Vaccination clinics are also taking place around the region, including at Washington Regional, Northwest Health, and Mercy in Springdale.

Here are links/info for the waiting lists for pharmacies in Washington County for the 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C eligible groups.
» Collier Drug Stores – Visit this website
» Medical Arts Pharmacy – Visit this website
» Community Pharmacy – Visit this website
» Heartland Pharmacy – Visit this website
» Walmart – Visit this website
» Sam’s Club – Visit this website Pharmacy

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