Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 cases increase by 2,520 Saturday


The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 2,520 on Saturday.

Hospitalizations were down by 35, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 1,362.

There are currently 345 patients in the state on ventilators, up two.

The state also announced 31 new deaths on Saturday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 6,645.

There are currently 25,721 cases of COVID-19 considered active in the state, which includes those that have tested positive by both PCR and antigen testing methods. The ADH dashboard currently lists 2,313 active cases in Washington County and 1,942 in Benton County.

Fayetteville Public Schools have begun reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The district on Friday announced eight new positive cases, for a total of 65 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 193 students currently in quarantine, and 33 of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced one new positive case among staff, for a total of 18 active positive staff cases. Nineteen staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district's dashboard.

There were 10,810 PCR tests and 1,937 antigen tests announced Saturday.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 434,027 since the pandemic began.

The top counties for new cases on Saturday were Pulaski (244), Washington (232), and Benton (205).

The state announced that 15,963 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,581,321. The state lists 352,872 as partially immunized, and 1,158,725 individuals as fully immunized.

Arkansas is averaging 2,248 new cases per day, or 74 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked fifth-worst among states in the per 100,000 category over that time, according to the New York Times COVID-19 tracker. Cases in the state are actually down by 4% over the last 14 days.

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.