The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 980 on Thursday.
Hospitalizations were up by 22, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 669, the highest number recorded since mid-February. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said this week that 98.3% of Arkansans hospitalized with the virus since January are unvaccinated.
There are currently 119 patients in the state on ventilators, up 16 from the day prior.
The state also announced 4 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 5,981.
There are currently 9,079 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 5.5 times the amount reported June 7, when active cases dropped below 1,600 briefly. The ADH dashboard currently lists 513 active cases in Washington County and 623 in Benton County.
There were 4,838 PCR tests and 1,031 antigen tests announced Thursday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 361,238 since the pandemic began.
The state announced that 5,624 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,202,070. The state lists 237,833 as partially immunized, and 1,021,383 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 990 cases per day, or 33 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 121% over the last 14 days.
By comparison, Vermont – who has at least partially vaccinated nearly 75% of its population – is only reporting about 12 new cases per day, or around 2 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 Thursday were Pulaski (151), Faulkner (75), and Benton (61).
