The Arkansas Department of Health reported an additional 288 new cases of covid-19 Sunday, continuing a downward trend of reported cases from the previous months.
While the state logged the 288 new cases, in total there was a much larger number of cases reported as part of a "data clean-up." Arkansas reported a total of 3,220 cases of covid-19 Sunday, with the overwhelming majority of those cases, 2,932, occurring before Feb. 14.
Gavin Lesnick, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Health, explained that some covid-19 case numbers lag and that even daily numbers aren't necessarily cases from the previous day.
"Really that's just a part of this process, you know; we have so much data flowing in that there is going to be some cleanup here and there," Lesnick said.
The "data clean-up" also lowered the state death count from the coronavirus as the Arkansas Department of Health reclassified some covid-19 deaths. In total, 5,243 people have died from covid-19 in Arkansas, 174 fewer than reported Saturday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
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There were 455 people hospitalized with covid-19 Sunday, down by 20 from the previous day. Of those patients, 85 were on ventilators, 12 fewer than the previous day, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
Pulaski County leads the state with the most newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 50, followed by Benton County with 38 and Garland County with 21.
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The Department of Health also adjusted the number of vaccine doses given in the state to 585,785 as part of the state's program, 286 fewer than reported Saturday. The state previously duplicated some dose numbers from Walmart, which participates in both the state and federal vaccination plans.
With the Food and Drug Administration approving an emergency use authorization for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he does not know yet how many doses of the new vaccine Arkansas will receive.
"Later this week, we'll learn how many J&J doses we'll receive. Great news w/FDA approval," Hutchinson tweeted Sunday.