Arkansas reports 74 new covid cases; deaths up by two

Nurse Tammy McNew (left) watches as Angela Austin (center) and her husband, Tony, self-administer their covid-19 tests during the Arkansas Department of Health's testing location on Sunday, June 28, 2020, at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Little Rock. 
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Nurse Tammy McNew (left) watches as Angela Austin (center) and her husband, Tony, self-administer their covid-19 tests during the Arkansas Department of Health's testing location on Sunday, June 28, 2020, at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

An uptick in Arkansas' new coronavirus cases continued on Monday as the reported number of people who were hospitalized in the state with covid-19 rose back up to its highest level in almost a week.

The state's death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by two, to 11,418.

The case count grew by 74.

While smaller by 66 than the increase on Sunday, it was larger by 12 than the one the previous Monday.

Already at its highest level since the week ending March 28, the average daily increase in the case count over a rolling seven-day period rose to 210, which was up from an average of 176 a day the previous week.

After reaching a new two-month high a day earlier, however, the number of cases in the state that were considered active fell by 93, to 2,493, as recoveries outnumbered newly reported infections.

The number people reported to be hospitalized in the state with covid-19 rose by eight, to 52, after falling the previous three days.

The number of the state's virus patients reported to be on ventilators remained for a second day at eight, its lowest level since March 25, 2020.

After falling the previous three days, the number who were reported to be in intensive care rose by one, to 19.

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