Covid-19 hospitalizations across the state dropped for the fourth day in a row Sunday, according to Arkansas Department of Health data, but hospitals report high intensive care numbers.
The health department reported that hospitalizations dropped by 15 from Saturday's number, to 1,257. Lower numbers have not been reported since Aug. 7 with 1,240 hospitalizations. Of those hospitalized as of Sunday, 513 are in intensive care units, with 344 on ventilators -- two more than reported Saturday.
Both Baptist Health and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences reported an increase in the number of patients in intensive care units and on ventilators.
The number of patients hospitalized at UAMS with complications of covid-19 has stayed consistent over the last week, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said Sunday afternoon. The overall number of patients was down by two Sunday when compared with last Sunday's 60 patients.
"However, the number of seriously ill patients requiring ICU care increased significantly," Taylor said via email. "There was also an increase in patients requiring ventilators or heart-lung bypass support (ECMO)."
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Sunday, 58 patients with complications from covid-19 were hospitalized at UAMS. Of those patients, 28 are in the ICU, 15 are on ventilators and four are on ECMO, Taylor said. Of last Sunday's 60 patients, 23 were in the ICU, 13 were on ventilators and three were on ECMO.
Baptist Health hospitals had 278 covid-19 patients, with 143 of those in the ICU and 101 on a ventilator, spokesperson Cara Wade said Sunday afternoon.
"Though our total number of covid hospitalized patients is down from our record high of 300 last Sunday, our other numbers have unfortunately increased," Wade said. "Those in intensive care and on a ventilator are the highest we've seen during the pandemic."
Active cases dropped by 582, to 24,115, on Sunday, which is lower than the past two Sundays. Of these active cases, 25-34 year olds make up 15.7%, followed by 35-44 years olds at about 14% of the cases, according to the health department.
About 28.85% of active cases are in those 18 years old or younger. Those four years and younger account for about 5.21% of the total active cases, with 1,257 cases.
New cases across the state increased by 787 Sunday. It is the lowest increase reported on a Sunday since July 18, which saw 579 new cases. Sundays have typically been lower in reported new cases than other days of the week.
Pulaski County had the most new cases Sunday with 73, followed by Washington County with 70 and Craighead County with 59.
A total of 449,383 cases have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, according to the department of health. Of those, 79,449 were 18 years old or younger.
"Our new cases today are significantly lower than last Sunday, and our vaccinations have increased," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in his daily covid-19 social media post. "We're again reminded of the toll that COVID is taking on our community with an additional 25 deaths today. The vaccine can help prevent death and serious illness from covid."
The total death toll now stands at 6,879 as of Sunday.
Another 6,713 doses of vaccine were given out in the state with 4,206 more people becoming fully immunized, according to the health department's Sunday update.
About 47% of the Arkansas' population 12 and up is fully immunized, with 13.4% partially immunized.
Since Feb. 1, unvaccinated individuals made up 86.1% of active cases, 89% of total cases, 91.3% of hospitalizations and 88.7% of deaths in the state, according to the department of health's data.
CORRECTION: Covid-19 hospitalizations across the state dropped for the fourth day in a row Sunday, falling from 1,368 on Wednesday to 1,257 on Sunday. An earlier version of this story misstated the number of consecutive days.