Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that COVID-19 cases in Arkansas increased by 1,044 on Tuesday, the highest single-day increase in new cases since September.
Hutchinson, speaking at his weekly press conference in Little Rock, also announced 12 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state as a result of the pandemic to 8,667.
Hospitalizations were up by 19, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 409. Hospitalizations have risen by 18% in the last week, Hutchinson said.
There are currently 73 patients in the state on ventilators, up eight from the day previous.
There are 5,699 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 369 active cases in Washington County and 496 in Benton County.
There were 4,302 PCR tests and 3,245 antigen tests announced Monday.
The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 528,838 since the pandemic began.
Fayetteville Public Schools are out this week, but the school dashboard on Monday, Nov. 29 showed nine new positive cases, for a total of 10 positive cases currently active in the district. There are 36 students currently in quarantine, and six of those are quarantining due to probable close contact at school. The district announced six new positive case among staff, for a total of six active positive staff cases. Four staff members are currently in quarantine or isolation, according to the district's dashboard.
Arkansas is averaging 479 new cases per day, or 16 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 5% over the last 14 days, though those figures do not include today's data.
The state announced that 12,969 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 3,411,641. The state lists 327,478 as partially immunized, and 1,443,498 individuals as fully immunized.
All Arkansans ages 5 and older are currently eligible for a vaccine. Those who need assistance locating a vaccine can call 1-800-985-6030.
