The Arkansas Department of Health reported 1,071 new covid-19 cases on Sunday, the second-lowest increase this year. However, it also tallied 43 deaths, one of the highest totals this year.
Sunday's count raises the cumulative number of cases in the state to 284,066. Total active cases declined by 524, to 19,395, according to Health Department data.
Total covid-19 deaths in the state were at 4,606 as of Sunday afternoon, according to department data.
"While we see some positive trends with active cases and hospitalizations, we saw another 43 deaths reported yesterday," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Facebook. "Let's continue to follow the guidelines. They do make a difference."
Hospitalizations fell for the fifth straight day, dropping by 14, to 1,080. Covid-19 patients on ventilators decreased by 14, to 170.
Pulaski County ranked first with 176 new cases, followed by Garland County with 89 and Benton County with 85.
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Health care providers administered an additional 6,879 doses of covid-19 vaccines Sunday, bringing the doses given to 211,968 since Dec. 14, when the state began inoculations.
That figure represents nearly 63% of the more than 337,000 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines that Arkansas has received.
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The state remains in vaccination phase 1-B, which includes residents age 70 or older and education workers, according to the Health Department.