The Arkansas Department of Health announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 142 on Monday.
State officals also announced two new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 8,202.
Hospitalizations were down by two, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 460.
There are currently 131 patients in the state on ventilators, down two from the day previous.
There are 5,952 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 404 active cases in Washington County and 464 in Benton County.
There were 2,278 PCR tests and 175 antigen tests announced Monday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 507,098 since the pandemic began.
The top counties for new cases on Monday were Pulaski (14), Sebastian (11), and Craighead (11).
Fayetteville Public Schools are reporting COVID-19 cases in their district as well. The school dashboard on Monday (Oct. 18) showed zero new positive cases, for a total of 7 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 22 students currently in quarantine, and only one of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced no new positive cases among staff, for a total of one active positive staff cases. One staff member is currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district’s dashboard.
Arkansas is averaging 583 new cases per day, or 19 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 25% over the last 14 days.
The state announced that 1,544 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 3,027,814. The state lists 285,393 as partially immunized, and 1,373,695 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.
The CDC recently 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.
The CDC will also be weighing authorization of booster shots for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots soon.
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.
