Case update: Arkansas COVID-19 cases increase by 556 over last 7 days

Arkansas COVID-19 cases increased by 556 over the last seven days, according to the Arkansas Department of Health website update on Tuesday. This is up just slightly from the 547 cases reported over the previous seven day period.

The state moved to a weekly report a few weeks ago instead of daily reports due in part to the rapid decline of cases recently. The last week’s count averages to about 79 new cases per day in the state.

Active cases have remained low. There are 1,009 cases of COVID-19 considered active in the state, which includes those that have tested positive by both PCR and antigen testing methods. That number is up from the 963 active cases reported last Tuesday, however.

In Northwest Arkansas, the ADH dashboard currently lists 110 active cases in Washington County and 89 in Benton County.

Hospitalizations fell by 30 over that same period, bringing the total number of patients hospitalized in the state to 73.

State officials also announced 26 new deaths in the past week, bringing the total number of Arkansans who have died as a result of the pandemic to 11,316.

There are currently 14 patients on ventilators statewide, down 8 over the last week.

There were 12,102 tests and 6,386 antigen tests announced Tuesday.

The new cases bring the total cumulative count in Arkansas to 833,821.

The top counties for new cases over the last seven days were Pulaski (117), Washington (71), and Benton (56).

Arkansas is averaging just 3 cases 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 45 percent over the last 14 days.

The state announced that 17,874 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, bringing the total number of doses given by the state to 4,013,841. The state lists 373,166 people as partially immunized, and 1,582,114 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.