The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 470 on Monday.
The state also announced 40 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 7,630.
Hospitalizations were down by 26,, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 835.
There are currently 234 patients in the state on ventilators, up two from the day previous.
There are 11,505 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 710 active cases in Washington County and 757 in Benton County.
There were 2,958 PCR tests and 305 antigen tests announced Monday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 493,120 since the pandemic began.
The top counties for new cases on Monday were Craighead (43), Benton (36) and Pulaski (32).
Fayetteville Public Schools are reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Monday, Sept. 27 showed 4 new positive cases, for a total of 23 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 51 students currently in quarantine, and 9 of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced one new positive cases among staff, for a total of one active positive staff cases. Three staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district's dashboard.
Arkansas is averaging 1,085 new cases per day, or 36 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. According to the New York Times COVID-19 tracker, cases in the state are down by 32% over the last 14 days.
The state announced that 928 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 2,880,209. The state lists 295,449 as partially immunized, and 1,327,701 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.
Also last week, the CDC announced a recommendation for a booster shot for those who received the Pfizer vaccine who are over 65 years of age, those with pre-existing medical conditions, and for individuals with occupations (teachers, health care workers, grocer workers, etc) that put them in close contact with the public. Here's more info on that.
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.
