Arkansas officials reported 1,094 new cases of covid-19 on Friday, a single-day record, as testing also hit a single-day record of 11,254.
Twelve more people also died of the virus, bringing the toll to 873.
Among the 1,094 new cases were 215 in Washington County. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said about 82% of those cases were among people ages 18-24, many of whom were likely University of Arkansas, Fayetteville students.
In response to increasing cases at the university, the school is suspending non-academic events on campus beginning Saturday through Sept. 18, a move Hutchinson voiced support for at his news conference.
The governor also pointed to Craighead County, home to Arkansas State University, as another place cases among college students were growing. The county saw 47 new cases Friday, of which Hutchinson said 43% were among people ages 18-24.
The 11,254 PCR tests completed in the previous 24 hours dwarfed most days in recent weeks, when daily testing numbers hovered between 3,000 and 7,000.
The state Department of Health lab processed nearly 2,500 tests, Health Department Secretary Dr. Jose Romero said, while commercial laboratories processed more than 8,000.
In addition to the PCR tests, Hutchinson said 600 antigen tests were processed in the previous 24 hours. Of those, 111 were positive.
The governor said the number of patients hospitalized decreased by 24 to 401. Romero said 86 patients were on a ventilator, a decrease of five from the previous day.
The number of active cases increased to just under 6,000, according to a graphic shown at the news conference. The highest level of active cases, more than 7,000, was seen in early August.
Counties with the highest numbers of new cases included Washington with 215, Pulaski with 87, Benton with 56, Craighead with 47, Jefferson with 24 and Sebastian with 21.
Hutchinson and Romero both called on Arkansans, especially college students, to abide by public health guidelines over the holiday weekend, namely frequent washing of hands, maintaining social distance, avoiding crowds and wearing a mask in public.
EARLIER:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state health officials will provide an update on Arkansas' covid-19 response from Searcy at 1:30 p.m.
The total number of coronavirus cases reported in Arkansas remained at 63,081 Friday morning, according to a state website. The death toll remained at 861.
Check back to watch the live video.
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