State logs 605 more cases of coronavirus

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes covid-19.
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes covid-19.

Arkansas on Sunday reported 605 new cases of covid-19 and one additional death, bringing the state's total number of victims of the viral pandemic to 287, according to the Department of Health.

[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]

The number of active covid-19 cases in Arkansas stood at 6,323 as of Sunday, a continuation of the upward trajectory of the state's virus cases.

At the same time, the active case count was up 198 from the day before, suggesting that even though more than 600 people have recently become infected with the coronavirus, a significant number of the people who previously tested positive for the virus have recovered.

Nevertheless, the number of new cases reported on a daily basis in Arkansas has so far not reached a visible plateau or decline. In fact, the number of new cases reported each day has largely risen during the early part of the summer.

[EMAIL SIGNUP: Form not appearing above? Click here to subscribe to updates on the coronavirus » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus/email/]

All told, between Friday and Sunday during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Arkansas reported a total of 1,739 new covid-19 cases, adding to the mounting number of new cases in the state.

That came after the state set a single-day record of 878 new cases reported on Thursday.

Sunday's new-case total of 605 was the highest single-day increase since that record-setting day.

The cumulative number of covid-19 infections in Arkansas now stands at 23,814.

In a news briefing on Friday, Arkansas Department of Health Secretary Nate Smith pointed out the increase in the number of active covid-19 cases that has occurred in the state during the nearly six weeks between Memorial Day weekend and the weekend of the Fourth of July.

At the start of Memorial Day weekend, there were 1,063 active cases in the community, according to the Department of Health's numbers. By Friday, active cases in the community had quintupled to 5,350.

Smith noted that the fivefold increase in active cases between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July meant that the same activities entailed five times the risk of coming in contact with someone actively infected with the virus.

"Things you might've gotten away with over Memorial Day weekend are going to be riskier this weekend," Smith said at the governor's briefing.

The number of individuals hospitalized because of covid-19 in Arkansas rose by 20 on Sunday, for a total of 325, according to Department of Health spokesman Gavin Lesnick.

Officials in many U.S. states, especially those in the Sun Belt, are finding themselves hard-pressed to curb rising numbers of covid-19 cases.

Appearing on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson suggested "there is a virus fatigue in our country right now."

"And you have to live life; you can't stop every activity," Hutchinson said. "But you have to be in a controlled environment in which you do protect yourself and others and take it seriously."

The governor said there is a balance to be struck between living life and emphasizing to the public "how serious this is."

[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCIT46Mqlkk]

On the Friday rally and speech by President Donald Trump that was held at South Dakota's Mount Rushmore, Hutchinson said he "would like to have seen more face coverings there," though he also called the outdoor event a "controlled environment" that "inspired many."

When pressed by NBC's Andrea Mitchell on the lack of social distancing and masks at the rally, Hutchinson acknowledged that "there should have been face coverings."

Also in response to a question from Mitchell, Hutchinson said that if Trump wanted to hold a rally in Arkansas, then officials in the state would insist on social distancing or the wearing of masks when social distancing is impossible.

"You have to follow our guidelines, and that's what we would insist upon," Hutchinson said.

Upcoming Events