The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 1,574 on Saturday.
The state also announced 22 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 7,434.
Hospitalizations were up by 28, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 1,027.
There are currently 285 patients in the state on ventilators, down thirteen from the day previous.
There are 16,274 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 1,195 active cases in Washington County and 1,129 in Benton County.
There were 8,436 PCR tests and 1,536 antigen tests announced Monday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 484,317 since the pandemic began.
The top counties for new cases on Monday were Pulaski (120), Washington (108), and Craighead (101).
Fayetteville Public Schools are reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Friday, Sept. 17 showed 4 new positive cases, for a total of 35 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 86 students currently in quarantine, and 27 of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced no new positive cases among staff, for a total of 8 active positive staff cases. Eight staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district’s dashboard.
Arkansas is averaging 1,490 new cases per day, or 49 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 26% over the last 14 days.
The state announced that 8,183 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,837,172. The state lists 304,343 as partially immunized, and 1,303,772 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.
