The numbers of covid-19 patients in Arkansas who were hospitalized and on ventilators both fell Friday for the fourth consecutive day, with the number in hospitals dropping below 900 for the first time in two months.
The state's count of cases rose by 1,365, the tenth consecutive daily increase that was smaller than the one a week earlier.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, rose by 13, to 7,561.
The number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 fell by 62, to 894, its lowest level since July 24.
The number on ventilators fell by 23, to 231, its lowest level since July 31.
The number of covid-19 patients who were in intensive care fell for the fifth consecutive day, dropping from 414 on Thursday to 386 on Friday. It was the first time the number in intensive care had been below 400 since July 30.
Friday's increase in cases was smaller by 444 than the one the previous Friday.
Already at its lowest level since the week ending July 21, the state's average daily increase in cases over a rolling seven-day period fell to 1,211.
With recoveries and deaths outpacing new cases, the number of cases in the state that were considered active fell by 256, to 13,245. It was the 13th consecutive daily decrease in the state's active case total.
Meanwhile, the increase in vaccine doses that providers reported having administered, including second and third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, was 4,702. It was the third consecutive day in which the number of doses given was smaller than the one a week earlier.
The number reported Friday, however, only included doses administered through Thursday, a day before providers started administering booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine. People eligible for the Pfizer boosters include those who are 65 and older, have health conditions putting them at risk of severe covid-19, or work in jobs putting them at increased risk of exposure to the virus.
The average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period fell to 5,387, its lowest level since the week ending July 15.
More details in Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.