LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Arkansas, as well as the number of patients in state hospitals with the virus, broke records again in data released Thursday.
The new figures from the Arkansas Department of Health show that active cases jumped by 2,251 to 97,628, breaking the previous record set just four days earlier. Overall, the state saw 11,160 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the pandemic total to 713,643 cases.
Arkansas hospitals continue to see a surging level of patients with the virus, adding 40 more patients over the last day to bring the current count to 1,640. There were slight dips in patients needing enhanced care, with the number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs dipping by two to 403 and the number of ventilators falling by five to 187.
There were an additional eight deaths added to the state’s tally, moving the total number to 9,470 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Vaccination efforts in Arkansas seem to be swiftly declining, with only 5,852 doses reported as being given in the past day. Compared to efforts from one month ago, the seven-day rolling average for vaccinations is down 36.4%.
The number of Arkansans with full immunity from the virus climbed to 1,532,238, with another 371,820 having partial immunity. Nearly half of a million people in the state have received a booster dose, with the state’s current total jumping to 499,010.