Arkansas' cumulative covid-19 death toll exceeded the 1,400 mark Saturday, and the daily count of infections grew by a total of 746.
The Arkansas Department of Health reported 16 new coronavirus-related deaths Saturday compared to Friday, raising the toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,407 deaths.
Fifteen of those new deaths were from confirmed covid-19 cases, while another was declared a “probable” death, or one that likely was virus-related.
The statewide cases added Saturday included 542 positives that were confirmed through polymerase chain reaction tests, or PCR tests, while the other 204 cases were identified through antigen tests. Antigen-test positives are recorded as probable cases.
On Friday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the state had received its first shipment of 59,000 credit-card size antigen test kits. They were purchased by the federal government and distributed to individual states, Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson has continued to emphasize the state’s increase in testing.
“We continue to see remarkable testing numbers with over 11,000 total tests yesterday,” Hutchinson wrote Saturday on Twitter. “This virus can affect anyone and it’s more important than ever to wear a mask, keep your distance, and frequently wash your hands.”