Arkansas recorded 816 new covid-19 cases Saturday, 295 fewer than Friday but still the highest number of new cases on a Saturday since Oct. 9, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health.
The state has seen 543,242 cases since March 2020, and 7,908 cases were active, or currently infectious, Saturday.
Pulaski County saw the most new cases with 76, Craighead County had 66 and Washington County had 60.
Hospitalizations from covid-19 dropped by 22 to 516 Saturday, the largest one-day decrease since Nov. 25. Previously, hospitalizations steadily climbed for 10 days with the exception of a decrease of one Wednesday.
[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]
The state Health Department is "keeping a close eye on the health care system" in light of increasing hospitalizations, communications director Meg Mirivel said in an email.
Three fewer covid-19 patients were in intensive care Saturday than on Friday, totaling 208, but four patients were put on ventilators, totaling 94 and marking the first increase after five consecutive days of decreases.
The Health Department recorded 12 new deaths from covid-19 Saturday, totaling 8,942.
Mirivel said vaccinations against covid-19 and the flu, in addition to other safety measures, protect the health care system as well as individuals.
On Saturday, 12,209 covid-19 vaccines were administered, 4,245 more than on Friday but 1,407 fewer than on Dec. 11, according to Health Department data. As of Saturday, 391,213 Arkansans had received their third doses of the vaccines.
"I am encouraged to see vaccinations in large numbers each day with another 12,000 doses given out in the last 24 hours," Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted Saturday. "We must continue this push as it is the best way to combat against the incoming Omicron variant."
The Health Department reported the state's first case of the omicron variant Friday. Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, the Health Department's chief medical officer, said the case was associated with community spread and not with interstate travel.
Mirivel said early data suggests that omicron is "more transmissible than previous variants."
With the holiday season underway, the Health Department encourages Arkansans to follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety guidelines, which include wearing masks regardless of vaccination status, getting tested for the virus and avoiding gatherings in poorly ventilated areas, Mirivel said.