Arkansas’ count of coronavirus cases rose Thursday by more than 1,500, topping the previous record for a one-day increase by more than 200 cases.
"Today's significant increase in new cases shows that we have the virus in all our communities," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.
He also referred to the increase in the number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19. That number rose by 25, to 667, but remained under the record 688 Arkansans who were hospitalized as of Monday.
"Our increase in hospitalizations breaks the recent trend of smaller numbers," Hutchinson said.
"The coming weeks are critical, and we must be diligent, intentional, and not be careless."
The increase of 1,548 cases came a day after the state’s case count rose by 1,293.
At the time, that was the state’s third-highest one-day increase.
The state's previous record for a one-day increase was the 1,337 cases that were added to the state's tallies on Oct. 23.
The increase in cases on Thursday was more than 44% higher than the increase of 1,072 cases that were added the previous Thursday.
It included 1,155 cases that were confirmed through polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests. The other 393 were “probable” cases, which include those identified through less-sensitive antigen tests.
The state’s death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by 11, to 2,037.
The number of covid-19 patients who were on ventilators fell by eight, to 103.