Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 case increase by 2,781 Wednesday


The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 2,781 on Wednesday.

Hospitalizations were up by 1, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 1,368.

There are currently 354 patients in the state on ventilators, up 11.

The state also announced 25 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 6,774.

There are currently 23,587 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 2,101 active cases in Washington County and 1,789 in Benton County.

There were 9,561 PCR tests and 3,221 antigen tests announced Wednesday.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 441,246 since the pandemic began.

The top counties for new cases on Wednesday were Washington (372), Benton (235), and Pulaski (227).

Fayetteville Public Schools have begun reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Tuesday showed 15 new positive cases, for a total of 72 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 217 students currently in quarantine, and 26 of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced no new positive cases among staff, for a total of 10 active positive staff cases. Ten staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district's dashboard.

Arkansas is averaging 2,228 new cases per day, or 74 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked 43rd 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.

The state announced that 12,116 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,616,162. The state lists 348,589 as partially immunized, and 1,178,475 individuals as fully immunized. The FDA on Monday announced it had given full approval for the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals, officials announced.

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.