Arkansas records 583 new covid cases, 38 deaths

Mia Cervantes, 12, looks away as nurse Carol Wright gives her the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine during a back-to-school vaccine clinic at Little Rock Southwest High School on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
Mia Cervantes, 12, looks away as nurse Carol Wright gives her the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine during a back-to-school vaccine clinic at Little Rock Southwest High School on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)

Although still down from their peaks last month, the number of covid-19 patients who were in Arkansas hospitals, in intensive care and on ventilators all rose Tuesday.

Likely reflecting a slowdown in testing over Labor Day, the state's count of cases rose by 583, the smallest daily increase since July 19.

The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by 38, to 7,108.

"Our case report today sadly shows 38 deaths," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet.

"We have fewer cases from the Labor Day weekend, but we’ll see the effects of the holiday weekend later this week and into the next. Vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalizations and death."

After falling the previous two days, the number of hospitalized covid-19 patients rose Tuesday by eight, to 1,228.

The number who were on ventilators, which fell by 17 on Monday, rose Tuesday by one, to 321.

The number who were in intensive care rose for the second straight day, going from 504 on Monday to 513.

The number of intensive care units that were unoccupied statewide fell by two, to 20.

Covid-19 patients made up about 46% of the patients in intensive care both Monday and Tuesday.

After peaking at 1,459 on Aug. 16, the number of covid-19 patients in Arkansas' hospitals has been trending mostly downward.

Since Aug. 24, it's been below the peak of 1,371 that it reached in January during the state's winter surge.

The highs so far have been 388 on Aug. 31 for the number of covid-19 patients on ventilators and 558 on Aug. 23 for the number in intensive care.

Although down from those records, the numbers of patients on ventilators and in intensive care have remained well above their peaks in January, which were 268 for the number on ventilators and 458 for the number in intensive care.

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