Arkansas recorded 2,543 additional coronavirus cases Saturday, down from the more than 3,100 new cases the state Department of Health reported Friday.
Deaths from the coronavirus rose by 30, raising the cumulative death toll from the disease since March to 4,293. Active cases Saturday rose by 191 to 25,804.
“Our efforts to slow the spread of this virus are so important as we distribute vaccine doses across the state,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet Saturday afternoon. “Thanks to all for following our guidelines.”
Saturday’s uptick in new cases raises the cumulative cases for Arkansas since the pandemic began to 270,178, the Health Department reported. The number of Arkansans considered recovered from the coronavirus has risen to 240,051.
Arkansas is expecting about 37,000 additional doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to be shipped in coming days as it begins vaccinating teachers and people who are 70 and older. Those people are part of the next phase of the Health Department’s vaccine rollout plan, and their injections are to begin Monday.
Hospitalizations Saturday were at 1,292, a decrease of 22 from Friday. Patients on ventilators because of covid-19 decreased by 12 to 214, the Health Department reported.
More details in Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.