Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 cases increase by 937 Monday


The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 937 on Monday.

The state also announced 13 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 7,070.

Hospitalizations were down by 3, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 1,220. A

There are currently 320 patients in the state on ventilators, down 17 from the day previous.

There are currently 21,675 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 1,697 active cases in Washington County and 1,436 in Benton County.

There were 6,495 PCR tests and 341 antigen tests announced Wednesday.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 464,732 since the pandemic began.

The top counties for new cases on Wednesday were Washington (93), Pulaski (81), and Craighead (68).

Fayetteville Public Schools are reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Friday showed 3 new positive cases, for a total of 67 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 218 students currently in quarantine, and 41 of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced non new positive cases among staff, for a total of 13 active positive staff cases. Eighteen staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district's dashboard.

Arkansas is averaging 2,067 new cases per day, or 68 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked 45th 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 down by 7% over the last 14 days.

The state announced that 2,914 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,751,950. The state lists 326,091 as partially immunized, and 1,251,620 individuals as fully immunized. The FDA recently 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.