Stories by Andy Davis

Arkansas reaches milestone on vaccinations The proportion of Arkansans who have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose topped 30% on Friday -- a day that was also the first one since November that the state did not report any new covid... April 10, 2021

State revises covid death toll down, but hospitalizations, active cases rise Arkansas reported no new coronavirus deaths on Friday, the first time since the day after Thanksgiving in which no deaths were linked to covid-19. The state's death toll from the virus since March 20... April 9, 2021

Justices set May as restart for trials Citing Arkansas' coronavirus vaccination efforts and decline in newly identified infections, the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday announced that jury trials in state courts will be allowed to resume... April 9, 2021

State's daily covid death toll ties low for year; hospitalizations fall to 10-month low Arkansas reported just two new deaths from the coronavirus Thursday as its count of cases rose by 199, a slightly lower daily increase than the one a week earlier. The number of people hospitalized w... April 8, 2021

State expects to add fewer vaccine doses After rising for two weeks, Arkansas' allotment of coronavirus vaccine for people who have not yet received a shot is expected to drop by a third next week due to a reduction in the number of Johnson ... April 8, 2021

State records 244 new covid cases Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Wednesday by 244 - the first daily increase in three days that was bigger than one a week earlier. After rising a day earlier, the number of people hospitali... April 7, 2021

School vaccinations a state goal Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday he wants to make coronavirus vaccines available in schools to students age 16 and older before the end of the school year. At his weekly news conference on the corona... April 7, 2021

State sees 163 new virus cases Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases increased Tuesday by 163 - the second daily increase in a row that was smaller than the one a week earlier. The number of people hospitalized in the state with co... April 6, 2021

State move on eligibility boosts vaccination pace The opening of vaccine eligibility to Arkansans 16 and older led to a faster pace of vaccinations this week, the head of the Arkansas State Pharmacists Association said Friday. "Even though there are... April 3, 2021

Coronavirus hospitalizations in state near 10-month low After rising a day earlier, the number of people hospitalized in Arkansas with covid-19 fell Friday by seven, to 161, the lowest number since June 7. The decrease came as Arkansas' count of coronavir... April 2, 2021

More Arkansas pharmacies to get vaccines Arkansas officials learned Thursday that the number of pharmacies receiving coronavirus vaccine through a federal program is set to increase next week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven... April 2, 2021

New coronavirus cases fall in state, but still outpace recoveries Arkansas' new daily coronavirus cases continued to fall on a week-to-week basis on Thursday, although new cases outpaced recoveries for the first time since March 20. The number of people hospitalize... April 1, 2021

State senators pass bill to scrap all mask edicts A day after Gov. Asa Hutchinson lifted the statewide mask mandate, the state Senate passed a bill that would nullify "all mandatory face covering requirements." The bill's sponsor, Sen. Trent Garner,... April 1, 2021

State covid cases rise by 212; governor calls vaccination numbers 'encouraging' Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Wednesday by 212 - the second daily increase in a row that was smaller than the one a week earlier. After rising Tuesday, the number of people hospitalized i... March 31, 2021

Governor ends mandate on masks Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday lifted the statewide mask mandate and extended eligibility for coronavirus vaccines to all residents age 16 and older. In an about-face from his comments a week earlier... March 31, 2021

Demand for shots spotty in Arkansas Ten days after Gov. Asa Hutchinson extended eligibility for the coronavirus vaccines to almost 1 million Arkansans, providers on Friday continued to report varying levels of demand for the shots. Kav... March 27, 2021

Arkansas sees improvements in key coronavirus tallies; death toll rises to 5,583 Arkansas officials on Friday reported a new nine-month low in active coronavirus cases, as well as a day-to-day and week-to-week reduction in new cases. The Arkansas Department of Health reported tha... March 26, 2021

Arkansas pharmacists weigh ordering fewer shots In another sign of waning demand for coronavirus vaccines from eligible Arkansans, the head of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association said Thursday that a pharmacy group is considering reducing the amou... March 26, 2021

State's daily count of new covid cases rises, but more Arkansans recover Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Thursday by 334 — the first time in eight days in which the daily increase was larger than the one a week earlier. However, recoveries continued to outpace n... March 25, 2021

State vaccine ration to grow 32% Arkansas' weekly allotment of coronavirus vaccines for people who have not yet received shots is set to increase by 32% next week, to more than 95,000 doses, as manufacturers continue to ramp up produ... March 25, 2021

State's new covid cases continue downward trend The downward trend in Arkansas' daily coronavirus cases increases continued on Wednesday, with the average daily rise over a rolling seven-day period dropping below 200 for the first time since May. ... March 24, 2021

Governor weighs cities' power to mandate masks Gov. Asa Hutchinson initially said Tuesday that cities will not be able to enforce their own requirements for people to wear masks in public places after he eliminates the state's mandate. But he lat... March 24, 2021

State tax-filing deadline is moved to May 17, too Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Friday that he had extended the deadline to file individual state income tax returns to May 17, coinciding with an extension of the deadline to file federal returns. "Pu... March 20, 2021

State income tax deadline pushed back to May 17 Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Friday that he has extended the deadline to file individual state income tax returns to May 17. "Pushing back the due date for state income tax is a simple way to help A... March 19, 2021

Vaccine effort getting assist from Guard Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday that he had activated 20 Arkansas National Guard members to help the state Department of Health with its mass coronavirus vaccination clinics and "accelerate our... March 19, 2021

State reports 264 new covid cases; active cases hit 40-week low The Arkansas Department of Health on Thursday reported 264 new cases of the coronavirus, returning to a week-to-week trend of fewer new daily cases. Active cases fell by 74 on Thursday to 2,734. The ... March 18, 2021

State vaccine clinics falling short of arms A day after Gov. Asa Hutchinson extended eligibility for the coronavirus vaccines to almost 1 million Arkansans, some providers said they still had appointments available for people to get the shots t... March 18, 2021

State covid cases rise by 325; hospitalizations continue climb Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Wednesday by 325 - a slightly larger increase than the one a week earlier - while the number of people hospitalized in the state with the virus rose for the t... March 17, 2021

More Arkansans cleared for shots Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday extended eligibility for the coronavirus vaccines to people who fall under the state vaccination plan's Phase 1-C, including "essential workers," such as those with jobs... March 17, 2021

1-dose shots set to arrive quicker in Arkansas Arkansas will get its second round of shipments of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week -- two weeks earlier than state officials were initially told, officials said Fri... March 13, 2021

State's covid death toll returns to record high after 'data clean-up' Arkansas' covid-19 death toll set a record high on Friday, almost two weeks after a state "data clean-up" reclassified 174 deaths previously counted as coronavirus-related. The state's covid-19 death... March 12, 2021

Hospital cases dip under 300 for first time since summer; governor recalls ‘our 3/11’ A year after the first covid-19 patient in Arkansas was diagnosed, the number of people hospitalized in the state with the virus fell below 300 Thursday, for the first time since July 3. The count of... March 12, 2021

Arkansas' 1-year coronavirus death toll tops 5,400; hospitalizations, active cases fall A year after the first covid-19 patient in Arkansas was diagnosed, the state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, stood at 5,410. The 28 additional deaths rep... March 11, 2021

317 cases reported; ebb seen in state Almost a year after Arkansas' first coronavirus case was identified, the spread of the virus in the state continued to show signs of slowing on Wednesday as the state count of cases rose by 317. Alre... March 11, 2021

State covid cases rise by 317; hospitalizations continue to fall The spread of the coronavirus in Arkansas continued to show signs of slowing on Wednesday as the state's count of cases rose by 317. Already at its lowest level since early July, the number of people... March 10, 2021

Arkansas' virus-case increases start back down After an uptick a day earlier, the downward trend in Arkansas' daily coronavirus case increases resumed Tuesday as the count rose by 432. The number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 ... March 10, 2021

State covid hospitalizations at lowest number since July 4 After an uptick a day earlier, the downward trend in Arkansas' daily coronavirus cases increases resumed Tuesday as the count rose by 432. The number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19... March 9, 2021

State virus tally adds 570 cases; deaths go up 10 Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Friday by 570 -- the first daily increase in five days that was larger than the one a week earlier. Despite that increase, the number of people hospitalized ... March 6, 2021

State adds 570 new coronavirus cases as hospitalizations continue to fall Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Friday by 570 — the first daily increase in five days that was larger than the one a week earlier. Despite that uptick, the number of coronavirus patients ho... March 5, 2021

Court's order stirs clash on shot eligibility Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the state's highest court on Thursday aired conflicting views on eligibility for coronavirus vaccinations, with the Arkansas Supreme Court declaring that certain members of the... March 5, 2021

Number of Arkansans hospitalized with covid-19 nears 8-month low The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in Arkansas fell Thursday to its lowest level since July 8. The number of Arkansans hospitalized with covid-19 fell by 25, to 372, according to the Ark... March 4, 2021

Covid-aid plan shorts state, Hutchinson says Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday reiterated his opposition to the way the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill being considered by Congress would distribute aid to states, saying it would shortchange... March 4, 2021

Covid hospitalizations fall below 400 for first time since September The number of Arkansans hospitalized with the coronavirus on Wednesday dropped below 400 for the first time since September, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. The number of people hospi... March 3, 2021

Food plant workers eligible for shots; U.K. variant of virus detected in state Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday extended eligibility for the coronavirus vaccines to workers at poultry plants and other food manufacturing sites -- expanding the population of those now allow... March 3, 2021

State lets up on virus rules as cases drop Citing Arkansas' decline in newly identified infections, its vaccination efforts and precautions being taken by residents and businesses, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday lifted almost all of the Departm... February 27, 2021

State virus tally back on rise; hospital cases up after drops Newly identified coronavirus infections in Arkansas continued to rebound from last week on Thursday as the tally of cases rose by 726. The increase was smaller than the one the day before but was the... February 26, 2021

State's active covid cases rise for first time in 3 weeks Active cases of the coronavirus in Arkansas rose Thursday for the first time in three weeks. Active cases rose by 44, to 4,720. The last time cases rose on a day-to-day basis was Feb. 4, when 16,992 ... February 25, 2021

State virus cases up by 803; hospitalizations lowest since Oct. 3 Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Wednesday by 803 -- the second daily increase in a row that was bigger than the one a week earlier, when testing in the state was slowed by winter weather. M... February 25, 2021

State's virus cases up by 803 Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Wednesday by 803 -- the second daily increase in a row that was bigger than the one a week earlier. Meanwhile, the number of patients hospitalized in the sta... February 24, 2021

Vaccination access added for ages 65-69 Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday extended eligibility for the coronavirus vaccines to Arkansans age 65-69, a group that he previously said wouldn't have access to the shots for another month. Hutchinso... February 24, 2021