The number of people hospitalized in Arkansas with covid-19 rose by double-digits on Friday, reaching its highest level in just over a week, amid signs that the spread of the virus in the state is once again accelerating.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by eight, to 11,895.
Growing for the third day in a row, the number hospitalized rose by 18, to 325, its highest level since Aug. 18.
The state's count of cases rose by 1,181.
While smaller by 11 than the rise on Thursday, it was larger by 215 than the one the previous Friday.
It was the largest daily increase on a Friday since July 22.
After dipping slightly a day earlier, the average daily increase in the state's case count over a rolling seven-day period rose to 922, its highest level since the week ending Aug. 9.
Rising for the fourth straight day, the number of cases in the state that were considered active grew by 260, to 11,103, as new cases outpaced recoveries.
Until this week, the active case total hadn't risen for more than two days in a row since it hit a peak of 16,946 on July 20.
After rising by eight a day earlier, the number of the state's virus patients who were in intensive care fell Friday by four, to 67.
The number on ventilators, which fell by five on Thursday, remained at 13 on Friday.
State Epidemiologist Mike Cima has linked a recent uptick in Arkansas' new case numbers to the start of the 2022-23 school year.
He said Thursday that new cases had been rising among children but were still falling among other age groups from the peak they reached last month.