Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose by 1,155 on Wednesday — the largest increase so far this week and one that exceeded the daily increase the previous Wednesday.
The state's death toll from the virus rose by 23, to 1,751.
"We are testing at record levels and we continue to see a high number of new cases across Arkansas," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a news release announcing the numbers.
"Compared to last Wednesday, we are plus 76 cases. Today we have 14 counties with more than 20 cases, once again highlighting the fact that this virus is not contained to one part of the state. We must all remain focused in our fight against COVID-19. Let’s be careful of the social gatherings and remind each other that wearing a mask protects those around us. Today everyone understands the need for social distancing."
The state's count of cases confirmed through polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests rose by 981, to 95,399.
Its tally of "probable" cases, which include those identified through less-sensitive antigen tests, rose by 174, to 6,197.
After reaching record levels on Monday and Tuesday, the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 fell Wednesday by one, to 636.
Those patients included 99 who were on ventilators, down from 101 a day earlier.
The state's cumulative count of confirmed and probable cases rose to 101,596.
The number of cases that were considered active rose by 98, to 8,520, as 1,034 Arkansans were newly classified as having recovered.
Wednesday's increase in cases was the largest since Thursday, when the state added a record 1,278 cases to its tallies.
The day before that, the state's case count rose by 1,079.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.