The number of covid-19 patients hospitalized reached the lowest number seen in more than two months, according to data released Monday from the Arkansas Department of Health.
On Monday, 889 patients were hospitalized with the virus, a drop of 24 from the previous day. The next lowest number was 861 on Nov. 16.
"We continue to see a decline in active cases, with over 1,100 fewer than this time last week. Over 422,000 tests were performed in the month of January, and there are over 7,200 fewer active cases than on January 1," said Gov. Asa Hutchinson. "We are seeing the effects of our combined efforts of vaccine distribution, mask wearing, and social distancing. Some positive trends have started to emerge, but we cannot use this as a reason to relax in following the guidelines."
There were 1,226 new covid-19 cases added Monday, bringing the cumulative total to 296,494.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by 27, to 4,895 -- just 105 shy of reaching the 5,000 mark.
The number of cases that were considered active dropped by 489 to 16,665 -- 1,127 less than reported the previous Monday.
There were 270 covid-19 patients in ICUs, two fewer than the previous day. Those patients include 141 who were on ventilators, down from 148.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.