The number of active covid-19 cases in Arkansas continued to fall on Friday, dropping below 5,000 for the first time since June as recoveries outpaced new infections for the 13th day in a row, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health.
The state reported 361 new cases on Friday, a count that was 18 more than Thursday's report but was still outpaced by the number of Arkansans recovering from the illness.
On Friday, the number of active cases fell to 4,866, the first time since June 6 that fewer than 5,000 people in the state reported having the virus.
The rolling seven-day average number of new infections was also on the decline Friday, falling to 351 in the 17th consecutive dip.
The state's total count of cases since March 2020 grew to 951,644. Recoveries rose to 934,367.
The state's death toll from the virus rose by 17, to 12,165.
Pulaski County had the most new cases, 54, on Friday, followed by Benton County with 26 and Craighead County with 22.
The number of covid-positive patients in Arkansas hospitals fell by 16 on Friday, to 215, marking the third day in a row where that number shrunk.
Hospitalizations this week reached their lowest level since June 28, data shows.
Eight fewer patients were being treated in intensive care units with covid-19 on Friday, bringing the number of ICU patients to 39. It was the third time in September that the number of ICU patients dropped below 40.
The number of patients on ventilators did not change from Thursday to Friday, with 17 covid-positive patients using the breathing devices. However, that number was smaller by four than the number of people using ventilators at the time of last Friday's report.
Also Friday, 1,668,235 Arkansans, or 58.7% of the population over age 5, had been fully vaccinated, with another 289,713, or 10.2% of the population over age 5, partially immunized. The state reported that 855,860 had received a third booster dose.