The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 646 on Monday.
The state also announced 31 new deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 7,298.
Hospitalizations were down by 5, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 1,113.
There are currently 286 patients in the state on ventilators, down one from the day previous.
There are 17,821 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 1,241 active cases in Washington County and 1,203 in Benton County.
There were 4,286 PCR tests and 306 antigen tests announced Monday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 475,647 since the pandemic began.
The top counties for new cases on Monday were Pulaski (62), Craighead (59) and Benton (40).
Fayetteville Public Schools are reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Monday showed 3 new positive cases, for a total of 53 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 160 students currently in quarantine, and 32 of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced two new positive cases among staff, for a total of 8 active positive staff cases. Twelve staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district's dashboard.
Arkansas is averaging 1,441 new cases per day, or 48 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked 30th 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 29% over the last 14 days.
The state announced that 2,652 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,800,432. The state lists 313,815 as partially immunized, and 1,281,255 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.
