The Arkansas Department of Health reported 221 new covid-19 cases Saturday. It was the third consecutive day of week-to-week increases in new cases, and the fifth consecutive day in which new infections around Arkansas outpaced recoveries.
Arkansas reported 1,960 active coronavirus cases on Saturday, an increase of 68 from Friday. It was the highest number since March 27, and it was announced just 11 days after the state recorded a year-low 1,602 active cases.
A week ago Saturday, the state reported 171 new cases and 1,761 active cases.
One additional death was linked to coronavirus on Saturday, raising the state's death toll since March 2020 to 5,693. Since the pandemic reached the state that month, 333,407 Arkansans have had the disease; of those, 325,701 are considered recovered.
The number of Arkansans hospitalized with covid-19 rose Saturday to 153, the same number as Thursday. Hospitalizations had fallen by one on Friday. Coronavirus hospitalizations in Arkansas have ranged between 141 and 171 for three weeks.
Five more coronavirus patients were on ventilators Saturday than Friday, the first increase after two consecutive daily decreases. The Health Department reported 20 Arkansans on ventilators because of covid-19.
“We saw an increase of nearly 25,000 vaccines yesterday, which continues a good week,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted Saturday. “We’re on target to reach our 1 millionth shot next week [and] this is very encouraging.”
Pulaski County had the most new covid cases for the third consecutive day with 38, after 31 on Friday and 35 on Thursday. Lonoke County had 22 new cases, and Washington County had 20 new cases. All other counties reported fewer new cases, according to Health Department data.
More details in Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.