Arkansas covid hospitalizations rise by 6 to 73; deaths up by 1

Ed’Regina Barnes, a licensed practical nurse, gives Jakobe White, 16, his first dose of the Pfzier coronavirus vaccine Saturday, May 15, 2021 during a vaccination clinic at Dunbar Community Center in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staci Vandagriff)
Ed’Regina Barnes, a licensed practical nurse, gives Jakobe White, 16, his first dose of the Pfzier coronavirus vaccine Saturday, May 15, 2021 during a vaccination clinic at Dunbar Community Center in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staci Vandagriff)

The number of people hospitalized with covid-19 in Arkansas rose above 70 on Monday for the first time in more than a month as an uptick in the state's new cases continued.

The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by one, to 11,446.

Growing for the second day in a row, the reported number of covid-19 patients in the state's hospitals rose by six, to 73.

It was the first time the number had been above 70 since April 12, which was about a week before the current upward trend in the state's new cases started.

The state's case count rose Monday by 88. While smaller by 58 than the increase on Sunday, it was up by 14 from the one the previous Monday.

Already at its highest level since the week ending March 27, the average daily increase in the state's case count over a rolling seven-day period rose to 285.

With recoveries outnumbering new cases, however, the number of cases in the state that were considered active fell by 149, to 3,078.

After not changing a day earlier, the number of the state's virus patients who were reported to be on ventilators fell by two, to six, which was tied with the number on Tuesday and Wednesday for the smallest since March 25, 2020.

Rising for the second straight day, the number reported to be in intensive care grew by two, to 20.

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