For the second consecutive day, Arkansas reported the highest number of active coronavirus cases this month, as well as a week-to-week increase in new daily cases.
Active cases rose Thursday by 49, to 1,892, as new infections outpaced recoveries for the fourth consecutive day. The state has seen more covid-19 cases in the community since reaching its low for the year, 1,602, on April 6, but it has also reduced the number dramatically since its all-time high of 27,822 cases on Jan. 10.
The state reported 237 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday -- the second consecutive daily increase that was larger than the one a week earlier.
After rising for the previous two days, the number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 fell Friday by one, to 152.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, rose by six, to 5,692.
“Vaccination numbers were slightly lower yesterday than previous days this week," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.
"We have vaccinated over 900,000 Arkansans with at least one shot. My goal is to have one million shots in arms by next week. Help us meet that goal. The doses are available to meet current demand, so don't wait, and get your vaccine as soon as you can.”
According to Health Department figures, the average number of doses administered over a rolling seven-day period dipped below 20,000 for the first time this month, falling from about 21,300 as of Thursday to 19,900.
The previous week, the average was about 22,500 doses a day.
The figures include second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Friday's increase in cases was smaller than the one a day earlier, but larger than the one the previous Friday, April 9.
As a result, the average number of cases added to the state's tallies each day over a rolling seven-day period rose to 186, its highest level since March 27.
The number of the state's virus patients who were on ventilators, however, fell by three, to 15, the lowest level since May 2020.
The number of patients who were in intensive care as of 2 p.m. fell by seven, to 51.
More details in Saturday's Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.