Hospitalizations due to covid-19 rose by 41 in Arkansas on Monday, while the state reported 531 new coronavirus cases.
The day’s case count was about 100 less than had been reported Sunday, causing Gov. Asa Hutchinson to express optimism in a statement sent along with the new Arkansas Department of Health numbers.
"We saw another decrease in new cases yesterday, and I am hopeful that the cases will stay low through the week,” Hutchinson said in the statement. “I applaud our students and educators for reducing the active cases in our schools. Let’s stay vigilant, and while cases usually go up in the next four days, let’s remember that it is up to each of us to do our part to help slow this virus and protect ourselves, our family, and our neighbors."
Even as reports of new cases have fallen over recent days, a surge of cases reported last week appeared to be having a lingering impact on the number of hospitalized. The total number of current hospitalizations, 613, is a new record.
The number of patients on a ventilator rose by two, to 99.
The state reported 10 additional deaths as a result of the virus, bringing the toll to 1,714, according to the Health Department.
Including the numbers reported by the Health Department on Monday, a total of 99,597 Arkansans have either tested positive for the virus or are believed to have contracted it. Of those, 8,658 were believed to be active cases.
The new cases reported Monday were based on the results from 8,918 lab-confirmed tests and 803 antigen tests.