The number of people hospitalized in Arkansas with covid-19 fell Friday from Thursday's eight-week high, though the state's counts of coronavirus deaths and active cases both rose.
Arkansas reported 201 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. The Arkansas Department of Health has tallied 339,863 cases of coronavirus since the virus reached the state in March 2020. Of those, 331,940 are considered recovered.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Health Department, rose by three, to 5,811. Active cases also rose by three, to 2,056.
In a tweet, Gov. Asa Hutchinson highlighted the increase in vaccine doses that had been administered since the previous day. Including second shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines' two-dose regimens, the number rose by 12,521, to 1,916,696, according to the Health Department.
"Today’s report shows another good day for vaccinations, with the highest increase in doses administered this week," Hutchinson said. "The vaccine is safe and effective, and we have the doses needed to continue protecting Arkansans from this virus."
The increase in vaccinations, however, was the first one in three days that was smaller than the one reported a week earlier.
The average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period fell by more than 400, to less than 8,500, its lowest level since February.
After rising by 15 on Thursday, the number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 fell Friday by the same number, to 188. The state also reported 188 hospitalizations on Tuesday.
The number of the state's virus patients who were on ventilators remained at 32.
Friday's increase in cases was the first one in four days that was smaller than the one a week earlier.
After rising above 200 as of Thursday, the average number of cases added to the state's tallies each day over a rolling seven-day period fell Friday by seven, to about 197.
More details in Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.