The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 1,401 on Tuesday.
The state also announced 17 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 7,499.
Hospitalizations were down by 34, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 993.
There are currently 278 patients in the state on ventilators, down 11 from the day previous.
There are 14,225 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 1,011 active cases in Washington County and 1,026 in Benton County.
There were 4,323 PCR tests and 88,187 antigen tests announced Tuesday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 486,853 since the pandemic began.
The top counties for new cases on Tuesday were Benton (133), Washington (93), and Craighead (90).
Fayetteville Public Schools are reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Monday, Sept. 21 showed 2 new positive cases, for a total of 26 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 84 students currently in quarantine, and 18 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 1,380 new cases per day, or 46 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. The state is currently ranked 28th 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 22% over the last 14 days.
The state announced that 7,228 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,850,663. The state lists 301,069 as partially immunized, and 1,312,459 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.
