Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 cases increase by 1,987 Friday, hospitalizations and active cases still rising


The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 1,987 on Friday, after 1,860 cases were added to Thursday's tally.

Hospitalizations were up by 22 on Friday, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 871, the highest number recorded since February. There are currently 159 patients in the state on ventilators, up one from the day prior.

The state also announced 6 new deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 6,041.

There are currently 13,784 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 8.6 times the amount reported June 7, when active cases dropped below 1,600 briefly. The ADH dashboard currently lists 916 active cases in Washington County and 1.071 in Benton County.

There were 7,643 PCR tests and 1,422 antigen tests announced Monday.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 372,313 since the pandemic began.

The state announced that 14,292 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,269,728. The state lists 267,512 as partially immunized, and 1,041,356 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 36% of the population being reported as fully vaccinated.

Arkansas is averaging 1,390 cases per day, or 46 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked third worst among states in the per 100,000 category over that time, according to the Times. Cases in the state are up 99% over the last 14 days.

By comparison, Vermont - who has at least partially vaccinated nearly 75% of its population - is only reporting about 18 new cases per day, or three 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 Monday were Pulaski (262), Benton (220), and Washington (169).