The spread of the coronavirus in Arkansas continued to accelerate over the weekend, data released Monday indicated, with the state's count of cases growing by more than 2,000 over a three-day span and the number of people hospitalized with the virus rising by 68.
The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, rose by seven, to 5,955, from Friday to Monday.
"Our hospitalizations increased by 68 over the weekend, but the COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against the Delta Variant and keep people out of the hospital," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet.
The Republican governor was scheduled to speak with residents Monday evening at the Batesville Community Center in the second meeting of a series designed to encourage Arkansans to get vaccinated.
Reflecting the state's decision last month to stop giving updates on weekends, Monday was the first time the Health Department had released information on cases, hospitalizations, deaths and other indicators since Friday.
The figures showed that the state's count of cases rose by 760 on Saturday, 965 on Sunday and 288 on Monday, for a total increase of 2,013.
By comparison, the state's count rose by 1,246 during the same three days a week earlier.
The average number of cases added to the state's tally each day over a rolling seven-day period rose to 807, its highest level since Feb. 15.
The number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 rose by 22 on Saturday, 21 on Sunday and 25 on Monday, bringing it to 565, the largest number since Feb. 22.
The number of virus patients who were on ventilators rose over the three days by 13, to 94, its highest level since Feb. 27.
One virus death was reported Saturday, and the other six were reported Monday. No deaths from covid-19 were reported Sunday.
The number of cases that were considered active, meaning the person had tested positive and had not recovered or died, rose to 7,528 as of Sunday, its highest level since Feb. 17, before falling by 273 on Monday.
"The upswing in cases appears to be continuing in the state," Health Department spokeswoman Katie White said in an email.
She said the fast-spreading delta variant, which first emerged in India, has been the most common variant found in the state for the past several weeks.
According to a Health Department report released Monday, the number of cases found to have been caused by the variant more than doubled last week, to 225.
The total number of cases caused by such variants is unknown, however, because only a small percentage of specimens are sent to laboratories for the genomic sequencing used to determine the strain of the virus.
White said it's possible the overall increase in cases since Friday included some infections that occurred during gatherings over the Fourth of July weekend.
"This week is the earliest we might see any potential increase from the holiday weekend," she said.
She said 14.1% of the state's coronavirus tests were positive during the seven-day span ending Sunday, down slightly from 14.7% for the week ending Thursday.
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Hutchinson has said he wants to keep the rate below 10%.
"As cases continue to increase, including variants of concern like the Delta variant, it is crucial that all eligible Arkansans get the COVID-19 vaccine," White said.
"These vaccines are safe and effective, and they are the best way to protect yourself and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Vaccines are readily available across the state with clinics offered each week. For those who are not fully vaccinated, we encourage diligent social distancing, mask wearing, and handwashing."
According to the variants report, the number of cases found to have been caused by the alpha variant from the United Kingdom rose last week by 43, to 420.
The state had one additional case identified as having been caused by the gamma variant from Brazil, bringing the total number of such cases that have been found in the state to 32.
'ALARMING' INCREASE
After hovering around 200 for much of May, the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 began creeping up in mid-June, possibly as a result of infections that occurred over Memorial Day weekend.
Over the past week, the increase has been more rapid, with the number rising by just over 200 -- or about 57%.
"The speed at which we are increasing with hospitalizations due to COVID is alarming," Little Rock-based Baptist Health spokeswoman Cara Wade said in an email.
She said the system's 11 hospitals around the state had 140 covid-19 patients on Monday, up from 84 a week earlier.
"By far, the majority of these patients are not vaccinated for COVID-19," she said.
"Available hospital beds as well as ICU beds are extremely limited across our system and this varies hourly. This is a very busy time, but it is important to remember that it is not uncommon to run at or near capacity for ICU beds. We feel we are meeting our patients' needs with quality, safe care. The best defense against COVID-19 is getting the vaccine."
In Little Rock, UAMS Medical Center had 44 covid-19 patients on Monday, including 15 who were in intensive care; 11 who were on ventilators; and two who were on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, machines, which are similar to heart-lung bypass machines used in open-heart surgeries, spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said.
"We're always full, so it's a lot of covid patients," Taylor said. "At the first of June, we had eight, and now we have 44."
In northeast Arkansas, the number of patients has been steadily increasing for about a month, including a steep rise in the past two weeks, St. Bernards Medical Center spokesman Mitchell Nail said.
Last week, he said the hospital repurposed a former cardiovascular intensive care unit as a dedicated unit for covid-19 patients.
"We are receiving patients from several hours away," Nail said. "When you start thinking about the hospitals that they're bypassing for us to care for these individuals, I think that's a good indicator that there's a strain on the overall system."
BY COUNTY
Pulaski County had the most new cases over the weekend, with 175 on Saturday and 214 on Sunday. The county had 83 more new cases on Monday.
On Saturday, Saline County had the second-most new cases, 50, followed by Washington County, which had 48.
The next day, Washington County had the second-most new cases, 61, followed by Benton and Saline counties, which each had 53.
On Monday, Jefferson County had the second-most new cases, 33, followed by Benton County, which had 19.
The number of people who have ever been hospitalized with confirmed infections in the state rose by 97, to 17,361, from Friday to Monday.
The number who have ever been on a ventilator rose by four, to 1,761, over the same period.
MORE VACCINATED
Health Department data released Monday also showed an uptick in the state's vaccinations, with the almost 12,000 doses administered over the three days exceeding the number during the same days a week earlier by about 2,900.
The average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period rose to 4,271, up from a low of 3,855 for the week ending Friday but still well below the state's peak of more than 23,000 a day in early April.
Taylor said the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' vaccination clinic on 12th Street in Little Rock has been administering about 40 or 50 doses of Pfizer vaccine a day, which is below its capacity of about 600 a day.
She said the university will close the clinic, at the Centre at University Park, on July 23.
"We haven't had the traffic there, and the city of Little Rock was very nice to let us use it, but I think they'd probably like to use it as a community center," Taylor said.
She said UAMS will continue to offer vaccinations at internal and family medicine clinics on its main campus and at its regional campuses across the state.
UAMS has also been using its mobile health unit to hold vaccination clinics in other locations.
About 50 people received their first doses of Pfizer vaccine at a clinic UAMS held Saturday at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Little Rock with help from the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock and Arkansas United, an immigrant-rights group, Taylor said.
VACCINATION INCENTIVES
Hutchinson announced in late May that Arkansans who received a vaccine dose May 26 or after would be eligible for a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket or a pair of gift certificates for hunting and fishing licenses worth a total of $21.
He said the state was buying 50,000 lottery tickets and 50,000 pairs of gift certificates and could buy more if the incentives proved effective.
Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration, said the number of people who had cashed in winnings from one of the tickets rose by 207, to 1,055, from July 6 to Monday.
The largest amount someone has won from one of the tickets so far is $500. Thirteen people had won that amount as of Monday, up from 12 as of July 6.
The other amounts won ranged from $20 to $100, with the total winnings increasing since July 6 by $8,330, to $47,480.
Two tickets worth $1 million each remained in circulation in the game, known as the $1 Million Spectacular, Hardin said.
Health Department spokeswoman Danyelle McNeill said a total of 3,989 lottery tickets and 1,557 Game and Fish Commission gift certificates had been given out as of Monday.
People can claim the rewards at vaccination clinics organized by the Health Department or the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care or by taking their vaccination cards to one of the department's local health units.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 43.1% of Arkansans had received at least one vaccine dose as of Monday, and 35% were fully vaccinated.
Among the states and District of Columbia, Arkansas ranked 45th in the percentage of its residents who had received at least one dose and 49th, ahead of only Mississippi and Alabama, in the percentage of those fully vaccinated.
Nationally, 55.5% of people had received at least one dose, and 48% were fully vaccinated.