The numbers of coronavirus patients in Arkansas who were hospitalized, on ventilators and in intensive care all fell Tuesday, with the number hospitalized dropping for the ninth day in a row.
The state's count of cases rose by 733, an increase that was smaller by 14 than the one the previous Tuesday.
The death toll from the virus, as tracked by the state Department of Health, rose by 15, to 8,147.
"It seems we are at a plateau with new cases, steady but not declining," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet.
"I am hopeful this will improve. Also, our vaccination rate is slowing, and I trust that will improve as well."
Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, the Health Department's chief medical officer, also noted the recent stalling in the downward trend of the state's average daily case increases.
[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]
After rising slightly a day earlier, the average over a rolling seven-day period fell slightly as of Tuesday to 688.
While still down sharply compared with a few weeks ago, that was about the same as the average the week ending Oct. 6.
"I would like to see them continue to go down," Dillaha said of the daily increases.
"I'm a little concerned that people are maybe backing off the precautions of masking and social distancing prematurely."
The number of covid-19 patients in the state's hospitals fell Tuesday by eight, to 537, its lowest level since July 10.
After rising a day earlier, the number who were on ventilators fell by four, to 160, the smallest number since July 24.
The number who were in intensive care fell for the fifth day in a row, going from 259 as of Monday to 253, its lowest level since July 16.
The number of intensive care unit beds that were unoccupied, however, fell by eight, to 112, as a result of an increase in non-covid-19 patients who were in intensive care.
People with covid-19 made up about 23% of all the state's patients who were in intensive care Tuesday, down from about 24% a day earlier.
Already at its lowest level since July 9, the number of cases in the state that were considered active fell by 83, to 6,806, as recoveries and deaths outpaced new cases.
'BREAKTHROUGH' CASES
According to the Health Department's online coronavirus dashboard, 19.2% of the cases in the state that were active as of Tuesday were among people who had been fully vaccinated, up from about 14% in late August.
Since Feb. 1, such "breakthrough" infections have accounted for 12.8% of the state's cases, 10.6% of its hospitalizations from covid-19 and 12.6% of its deaths from the virus.
"I think that demonstrates the need for, certainly the Pfizer vaccine, for a booster for certain populations," Dillaha said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the boosters last month for people who received their second Pfizer doses at least six months ago and are 65 or older, residents of long-term-care facilities or people ages 50-64 with medical conditions putting them at an elevated risk of severe covid-19.
The CDC said younger adults with such health conditions and people at increased risk of catching the virus because of their jobs or because they live in institutional settings can also get boosters "based on their individual benefits and risks."
An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration is discussing this week whether booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines should also be authorized.
Third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were authorized in August for certain people with compromised immune systems.
In addition to receiving booster shots if indicated, Dillaha said even those who have been fully vaccinated should continue to take precautions such as wearing masks in public, and avoiding crowds and indoor public places with poor ventilation.
Having more people vaccinated would also decrease the chance of breakthrough infections, she said.
"The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer opportunities people who are vaccinated will have to be infected, so the breakthrough cases would likely decrease," she said.
VACCINATIONS DOWN
Recently, however, the pace of vaccinations in the state has slowed.
At 6,293, the increase Tuesday in the Health Department's tally of vaccine doses that had been administered was smaller by more than 2,400 than the one a week earlier.
Already at its lowest level since the week ending Sept. 30, the average number of doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period fell to 6,864.
Of the most recently reported doses, 42% were third doses, including the Pfizer boosters.
Second doses made up 32% of the increase. First doses accounted for 25%.
Information on the dose number was missing for 24 of the doses.
"What we are seeing is the people who have confidence in the vaccine are taking advantage of their protection, and the people who lack confidence are declining even the first doses," Dillaha said.
The slowdown in people receiving first doses is worrisome, she said.
"We still have pockets of people around the state who are vulnerable to getting infected with covid-19, and I am concerned about having another surge during the winter," she said.
According to the CDC, the number of Arkansans who had received at least one vaccine dose rose Tuesday by 371, to 1,702,269, representing about 56.4% of the population.
The number who had been fully vaccinated rose by 517, to 1,402,163, or about 46.5% of the population.
Among the states and District of Columbia, Arkansas ranked 37th in the percentage of its population who had received at least one dose.
In the percentage who were fully vaccinated, it was roughly tied with Georgia and Tennessee for 42nd, ahead of Louisiana, North Dakota, Mississippi, Alabama, Wyoming, Idaho and West Virginia.
Nationally, 65.5% of people had received at least one dose, and 56.5% were fully vaccinated.
FEWER WINNERS
Meanwhile the number of people claiming winnings from lottery tickets distributed as rewards for receiving vaccine doses fell last week for the third week in a row.
Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration, said 187 tickets were cashed in last week, down from 224 the week before.
Hutchinson announced in late May that Arkansans who received a shot on May 26 or after would be eligible for one of the $20 scratch-off tickets or a pair of gift certificates for hunting and fishing licenses worth a total of $21.
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.
Health Department spokeswoman Danyelle McNeill said 22,648 lottery tickets and 8,995 gift certificates had been handed out as of Monday.
Hardin said a total of 6,475 lottery tickets had been cashed in as of last week.
So far, one person, a Texas man who had been visiting relatives in Arkansas, has won $1 million from one of the tickets, and one person has won $1,000.
The other winnings, in amounts ranging from $20 to $500, rose last week by $8,680, to $281,750.
One more $1 million ticket remained in circulation in the game, known as the $1 Million Spectacular, along with one $50,000 prize and one $10,000 prize.
STATE RANKINGS
According to rankings Tuesday by the CDC, Arkansas had the 17th-lowest number of new cases per capita among the states and District of Columbia the week ending Monday, down from the 12th-lowest a week earlier.
In new deaths, it went from having the 16th-highest rate to the 20th-highest as its number per 100,000 residents fell from four to 3.3.
Within Arkansas, Benton County had the most new cases Tuesday with 71, followed by Pulaski County with 67, and Washington County with 49.
The state's cumulative count of cases rose to 503,822.
Dillaha said all the deaths reported Tuesday happened within the past month.
She said 7.9% of the state's coronavirus tests were positive during the seven-day span ending Monday, up from the 7.7% that was initially reported for the week ending Sunday but still down from a high during the summer of 16.3% for the week ending Aug. 4.
Hutchinson has said he wants to keep the percentage below 10%.
The number of people who have ever been hospitalized in the state with covid-19 grew Tuesday by 50, to 27,004.
The number who have ever been on ventilators with covid-19 rose by eight, to 2,820.