Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Wednesday by 352 - the biggest one-day increase since March 16 and the first one this month that topped 300.
After rising for the previous four days, the number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 fell by two, to 175.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by two, to 5,708.
“The increase in new cases from today's report is a serious reminder of the importance to get vaccinated," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.
"It is also a reminder that the virus is still here along with the more contagious variants. Our best defense is the vaccine. We have plenty of doses available, so if you're 16 and older, schedule your appointment today.”
The number of the state's virus patients who were on ventilators remained at 24.
The number of covid-19 patients who were in intensive care as of 2 p.m. rose by four, to 66.
Wednesday's increase in cases was larger by more than 100 than both the one a day earlier and the one the previous Wednesday, April 14.
After falling for the previous three days, the average number of cases added to the state's tallies over a rolling seven-day period rose Wednesday by almost 19, to 199, its highest level since March 26.
The Health Department also reported that the number of vaccine doses that had been administered in the state rose by 20,706, which was more than 5,000 doses fewer than it reported the previous Wednesday.
The average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period fell for the second straight day to just over 18,000, the lowest level since March 24.
Those figures include second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines' two-dose regimens.