The uptick in new coronavirus infections in Arkansas appeared to be continuing Wednesday as the state's count cases rose by 389.
While smaller than Tuesday's spike of 485 cases, the increase on Wednesday was larger by just over 100 than the one the previous Wednesday.
After rising for the previous eight days, however, the number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 fell Wednesday by six, to 279.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by three, to 5,887.
"Today’s report shows another day of higher-than-average new cases," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet.
"This increased level of cases can only be stopped by the covid-19 vaccine. Right now, our activities are increasing at a faster rate than our vaccines. Let’s return to normal, but please get a shot."
With new cases outpacing recoveries, the number of cases in the state that were considered active rose by 151, to 2,721, its highest level since March 18.
The number of hospitalized covid-19 patients in the state who were on ventilators rose by three, to 67, its highest level since March 11.
Meanwhile, at 4,753, the increase in vaccine doses that providers reported having administered, including second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, was smaller by more than 1,100 than the one a week earlier.
The average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period fell to 4,555, the lowest level since the Health Department began publicly reporting daily vaccination numbers in January.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for the full story.