LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The number of reported coronavirus cases in Arkansas increased by more than 1,300 Saturday and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 topped 1,100, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
The department reported 1,339 new cases for a total of 386,452 since the pandemic began, and 1,105 people hospitalized, an increase of 18 from Friday.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has been on a statewide tour promoting the coronavirus vaccine, noted that vaccinations increased by 12,866.
“Almost 13,000 doses administered helps us,′ Hutchinson wrote on his Twitter page, ”but the continued, steady increase in hospitalizations puts a strain on our health care workers.”
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 36.3% of Arkansans were fully vaccinated as of Friday, the third lowest rate in the nation.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases in the state has risen from 1,017.1 daily on July 15 to 1,828.6 on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Arkansas had the third most new cases per capita with 747.7 per 100,000 residents during the past two weeks, according to the Johns Hopkins data.
