The numbers of Arkansans hospitalized with covid-19 and on ventilators dropped for the third-consecutive day Saturday.
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There were 52 fewer covid-19 patients Saturday than Friday, the largest drop this month after hospitalizations surged throughout July and August.
On Saturday, 1,272 Arkansans were hospitalized with the virus, and 342 were on ventilators, six fewer than Friday, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health.
"The decline in hospitalizations is hopeful, but cases and hospitalizations still remain high in the state, and our health care system is still strained," Health Department communications director Meg Mirivel said in an emailed statement.
The state saw 2,116 new cases of covid-19 Saturday, 354 fewer than a week earlier and 700 fewer than Friday. Pulaski County had the most new cases Saturday with 169, Benton County had 156 and Sebastian County had 135.
The Health Department has recorded 448,596 cases and 6,854 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020. Eighteen people died of covid-19 in Arkansas on Saturday, the first day since Aug. 19 to see fewer than 20 covid deaths, according to Health Department data.
Mirivel and Gov. Asa Hutchinson continue to advocate for vaccinations as the most effective shield against covid-19. Additionally, monoclonal antibody treatment is available in 89 pharmacies and medical facilities statewide, according to the Health Department website.
Monoclonal antibodies are man-made proteins that act like human antibodies in the immune system and can specifically target a certain antigen.
The antibodies -- which have been used to treat covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic -- have typically been administered in the hospital intravenously.
The antibodies treatment is now available through a subcutaneous injection, making it more widely available.
"While our cases are still high, the emphasis on early monoclonal antibody treatment is helping to reduce hospitalizations," Hutchinson tweeted Saturday. "Our vaccination rates continue to improve and I am proud of Arkansas's recent progress."
On Saturday, 13,753 vaccine doses were given statewide, 2,210 fewer than a week earlier but 2,574 more than Friday. Also, 9,949 Arkansans have received a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, an increase of 846 from Friday, according to Health Department data. Third doses are authorized for people with compromised immune systems.
Two vaccination clinics in the Little Rock area provided second doses of the Pfizer vaccine Saturday after providing first shots earlier this month.
Both clinics -- one at the Junior League of Little Rock and one at The Worship Center Church of God in Christ in North Little Rock -- administered eight shots each Saturday. Organizers said they administered one first shot and seven second shots at each clinic.
Junior League President Maradyth McKenzie said people's return to the clinics depended on convenience, and they might have gone somewhere else for their second shots.
However, Mirivel said skipped second doses are not unheard of.
"We do see that some Arkansans are not coming back for their second shot of a two-dose series," she said. "It is important for Arkansans to complete both shots of Pfizer or Moderna to get the most protection possible from the delta variant and other strains of covid-19."
Eve Geiggar and Dorothy Porter, church members at The Worship Center who helped organize the clinic, said social media and word of mouth were their primary tools for advertising it.
"We've got to get back to normal because the church has to feel comfortable worshipping again," Porter said. "That's our foundation."
The church has a health and wellness ministry that has been working to encourage the community to get vaccinated, and one method of education has been through members sharing stories of how covid-19 affected their lives when they contracted the illness, Geiggar and Porter said.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Buffalo River Elk Festival in downtown Jasper in Newton County has been canceled because of the rise in covid-19 cases around the state and the impact it's having on health care workers and facilities, organizers announced Saturday.
This is the second year in a row that the festival -- which attracts 3,000 to 8,000 people and was scheduled to take place next Friday and Saturday -- has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival is typically a two-day event featuring entertainment; local art and handmade goods; food vendors; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's annual elk tag lottery; and outdoor activities. The annual event celebrates the successful reintroduction of wild elk to the Buffalo River area.
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"This decision was a difficult one to make, but we have a responsibility to protect the health of our community members and festival goers. We are looking forward to hosting the festival again in 2022. Thank you for your understanding and support," said an official statement by the Buffalo River Elk Festival board of directors.
Information for this article was contributed by Danny Shameer of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.