Arkansas’ official coronavirus death toll held steady Sunday, as the Arkansas Department of Health reported no new daily deaths from the disease.
Since March 2020, Arkansas has tallied 5,846 coronavirus deaths. Sunday was the first day with no covid-19 deaths since May 29, and one of only seven days this year in which the death toll from the disease remained unchanged or was lowered due to data revisions.
Active covid-19 cases in Arkansas dropped Sunday. They remained lower in the week ending Sunday than in the last full week of May, according to the Health Department’s daily updates.
Active cases dropped by 74 from Saturday’s number to 1,707. According to the Health Department, the rolling 7-day average of active daily cases was around 1,697 for the past week, down from about 1,975 in the last week of May.
“Another decline in active cases and no new covid deaths are a good sign from today’s report,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday via social media. “Vaccinations are not mandatory, but the incentives are there from good health to freedom to live life fully.”
Another 3,255 doses of the vaccines were administered, with 1,888 more people becoming fully immunized. As of Sunday’s update, 921,245 Arkansans are now fully immunized with another 237,406 people partially immunized.
Arkansas has administered 75.9% of the 2,651,460 doses available.
Coronavirus hospitalizations were down by seven on Sunday, to 187. Two fewer people were on ventilators, lowering that total to 33.
Arkansas has seen 342,433 covid cases since March 2020, according to the Health Department. Of those, 334,818 are considered recovered.
Pulaski County saw the highest number of new cases Sunday with 20, followed by Washington County with nine, then Benton County with seven. One of the confirmed new cases was in a correctional facility.
More details in Monday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.