The number of people hospitalized with covid-19 in Arkansas fell Thursday for the second consecutive day, reaching its lowest level in more than two weeks. However, the state's count of deaths from the virus rose by seven, the largest single-day increase in more than two weeks.
The state's count of cases rose by 197 — a smaller increase than both the one a day earlier and the previous Thursday.
"Today’s report shows a decrease in hospitalizations and actives cases compared to this time a week ago," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet. "While we are seeing hopeful COVID-19 progress, let’s continue this trend by ensuring we all play a role in protecting others."
After falling by 11 on Wednesday, the number of patients hospitalized with the virus fell Thursday by 10, to 180.
The number of virus patients who were on ventilators, however, rose Thursday by one, to 38.
The number of covid-19 patients who were in intensive care fell for the third day in a row, going from 83 as of Wednesday to 78.
The death toll from the disease since March 2020, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, rose to 5,842.
The increase in deaths Thursday was the largest since May 18, when the state's death toll rose by nine.
After rising a day earlier, the average number of cases added to the state's tallies each day over a rolling seven-day period fell Wednesday to 139. That was still just short of the low for the year set earlier this week: 134 cases a day on average were added during the week that ended Tuesday.
Although the total was still down from a week earlier, the number of cases in the state that were considered active rose Thursday by 15, to 1,673, as new cases outpaced recoveries.
The number of vaccine doses that had been administered, including second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, rose by 6,346. That was bigger than the increase on Wednesday, but down by more than 1,500 from the rise a week earlier.
Already at its lowest level since at least early January, the average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period fell by more than 200, to 5,042.
More details in Friday's Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.