The death toll from the coronavirus in Arkansas passed the 300 mark on Tuesday, the same day the state reported the largest single-day increase in hospitalizations, according to state officials.
Nine additional people have died from the coronavirus, bringing the state’s death toll to 301, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during a news conference at the state Capitol in Little Rock.
Of the new deaths, five were younger than 65, according to Health Department Secretary Nate Smith.
During the conference, Smith said 32 additional people have been hospitalized, for a total of 369 hospitalizations.
Despite the sharp increase in hospitalizations, which Smith said was a single-day record for the state, only 259 new cases of the illness were recorded. A total of 24,253 coronavirus cases have been recorded in Arkansas since the pandemic began.
Pulaski County’s 57 new cases marked the highest single-day increase among all counties. Benton County had 26 while Washington County added 14.
Hutchinson said only 3,366 people were tested in the previous 24 hours, lower than most days in recent weeks. He called that a "sort of asterisk" to note when considering Tuesday's numbers. The state must increase its testing to meet its July goal of 200,000, according to the governor.
“But it is still a good number for us,” he said.
EARLIER:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state health officials will provide an update on Arkansas' covid-19 response at 1:30 p.m.
The total number of coronavirus cases reported in Arkansas remained at 24,253 Tuesday morning, according to a state website. The death toll remained at 292.
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