Already at its lowest level in almost four months, the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 in Arkansas fell Wednesday for the second day in a row.
The state's count of cases rose by 559, the second daily increase in a row that was smaller than the one a week earlier.
Arkansas' death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by 19, to 8,325.
The number of covid-19 patients in the state's hospitals, at its lowest level since July 5, fell Wednesday by 14, to 366.
Already at its lowest level since July 14, the number of the state's virus patients who were on ventilators fell by two, to 111, after not changing a day earlier.
After rising the previous two days, the number who were in intensive care fell by eight, to 174.
The number of intensive care unit beds in the state's hospitals that were unoccupied, however, fell by six to 142, as a result of more non-covid-19 patients who were in intensive care.
People with covid-19 made up about 16% of all the state's intensive care patients on Wednesday, down from about 17% a day earlier.
While larger than the one a day earlier, the increase in cases on Wednesday was smaller by 113 than the one the previous Wednesday.
As a result, the average daily increase over a rolling seven-day period fell to 434, its lowest level since the week ending June 30.
With new cases outnumbering recoveries and deaths, however, the number of cases in the state that were considered active rose by 16, to 4,842, after falling the previous four days.
Meanwhile, the Health Department's tally of vaccine doses that had been administered rose by 12,751, the biggest one-day increase in more than a month.
Third doses, which were authorized last week for a wider group of people who received the Moderna vaccine, made up 65% of the increase.
First doses have also been on the rise in recent days, however. On Wednesday, the number rose by 2,560, the biggest one-day increase in more than a week.
The average number of total doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period rose to 7,727, the highest average since the week ending Oct. 8.
Similarly, the average number of first doses administered each day rose to 1,785, the highest average since the week ending Oct. 10.
The averages for both total doses and first doses, however, remained well below the levels they reached during the summer.
For total doses, the summer peak was an average of 13,361 a day the week ending Aug. 27. First doses topped out at an average of 8,662 a day the week ending Aug. 6.