Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 cases increase by 288 Monday, hospitalizations continue to rise


The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 288 on Monday. The state also today announced increases of 965 new cases on Sunday, and 760 on Saturday.

Hospitalizations were up by 25 on Monday, for a total of 68 new hospitalizations recorded over the weekend. There are currently 94 patients in the state on ventilators, up 13 from the day prior.

The state also announced six new deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 5,955.

There are currently 7,255 cases of COVID-19 considered active in the state, which includes those that have tested positive by both PCR and antigen testing methods. This number is up more than 4.5 times the amount reported June 7, when active cases dropped below 1,600 briefly. The ADH dashboard currently lists 335 active cases in Washington County and 364 in Benton County.

There were 2,108 PCR tests and 636 antigen tests announced Monday.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 357,473 since the pandemic began.

The state announced that 2,246 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,184,869. The state lists 232,268 as partially immunized, and 1,014,944 individuals as fully immunized.

Arkansas continues to lag behind the rest of the country in vaccinations. According to the New York Times vaccine tracker, Arkansas is ranked 48th with just 35% of the population being reported as fully vaccinated.

Arkansas is averaging 697 cases per day, or 23 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked worst among states in the per 100,000 category over that time, according to the Times. Cases in the state are up 196% over the last 14 days, which ranks second worst in the country over that time.

By comparison, Vermont - who has at least partially vaccinated nearly 75% of its population - is only reporting about five new cases per day, or less than one person for every 100,000 residents.

All Arkansans ages 12 and older are currently eligible for a vaccine.

Those who need assistance locating a vaccine can call 1-800-985-6030.

The top counties for new cases on Wednesday were Pulaski (146), Faulkner and Garland (75) and Saline (71).