LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday credited the state’s ongoing commitment to COVID-19 vaccinations, masking, and other mitigation efforts for a continued decline in active cases and hospitalizations.
The state Department of Health reported 432 new cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s pandemic total to 325,383. Of those, 3,461 cases are active, 132 fewer than Monday, and 317 are in hospitals, 21 fewer than Monday. Fourteen new COVID-19 deaths raised the state’s pandemic death toll to 5,357.
“We continue to see a decrease in active cases and hospitalizations compared to last week,” Hutchinson said. “Also, an additional 104,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered since last Tuesday. Our continued mitigation efforts, including vaccination, masking, and social distancing, will get us closer to the end of this pandemic.”
Hutchinson has said Arkansas residents will be required to wear masks in public through at least the end of the month, in contrast to the swift rollbacks of mask mandates in the neighboring states of Texas and Mississippi.
State health officials are developing criteria for when to lift the measure aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus.
