Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose Friday by 1,052, the smallest-one day increase since Monday and the third-smallest increase in more than two weeks, while the number of covid-19 patients on ventilators jumped to a new high.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, remained at 2,436, with no new deaths reported.
“As expected, we saw a decrease in testing yesterday, leading to a decrease in new cases compared to last week," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.
"The extent to which efforts were taken to help slow the spread this week will become evident in the weeks to come as we get back to a normal level of testing. Continue to protect yourself, your friends, and your family this weekend."
The number of virus patients in hospitals rose by eight, to 1,011, the second-highest number since the pandemic began in March. The number of virus patients who were on ventilators grew by 23, to 192.
The state's previous record for covid-19 patients on ventilators, as reported in the state's daily coronavirus updates, was the 191 who were on the breathing machines as of Wednesday.
An additional 615 of the state's 1,065 ventilators remained available for new patients as of Friday.
The number of virus patients in intensive care units remained at 406, but the state's available intensive care beds rose from 67 to 93, reflecting a reduction in non-covid patients in intensive care.
The cases added to the state's tallies included 962 that were confirmed through polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests. The other 90 were "probable" cases, which include those identified through less-sensitive antigen tests.
The state's cumulative count of cases, the tally since the pandemic began, rose to 153,677. That comprised 134,904 confirmed cases and 18,773 probable ones.
The number of cases that were considered active fell by 680, to 16,908, as 1,732 Arkansans were newly classified as having recovered.
Likely reflecting a dip in testing due to Thanksgiving, Friday's increase in cases was well below the 2,061 that were added the previous Friday.
Over a rolling-seven day period, the average number of cases added to the state's tallies each day fell from a record 1,824 as of Thursday to 1,680 on Friday.