The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 621 on Monday, after adding 1,022 cases on Sunday and 2,015 cases on Saturday over the weekend.
Hospitalizations were up by 61 on Monday, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 980, the highest number recorded since January. There are currently 172 patients in the state on ventilators, down one from the day prior.
The state also announced 23 new deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 6,077.
There are currently 14,627 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 9 times the amount reported June 7, when active cases dropped below 1,600 briefly. The ADH dashboard currently lists 963 active cases in Washington County and 1,116 in Benton County.
As usual, testing dips a bit over the weekend, which results in a slightly lower case count on Mondays than on other days of the week. There were 3,247 PCR tests and 871 antigen tests announced Monday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 375,971 since the pandemic began.
The state announced that 3,694 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,291,726. The state lists 280,029 as partially immunized, and 1,046,302 individuals as fully immunized. The state announced it administered 6,218 vaccine doses on Sunday, and 12,186 on Saturday.
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 1,548 cases per day, or 51 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked second worst among states in the per 100,000 category over that time, according to the Times. Cases in the state are up 92% over the last 14 days.
By comparison, Vermont - who has at least partially vaccinated nearly 75% of its population - is only reporting about 24 new cases per day, or four 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 (135), Washington (62), and Benton (52).
