New cases top 800 for a second time
One week to the day, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced new COVID-19 cases have surpassed 800 in a single day for the second time. The announcement came during his daily briefing Thursday.
A one-day high was reached July 2 with 878 new cases.
On Thursday, 806 additional cases were reported. On Wednesday, more than 700 were reported in the state.
Hutchinson opened his briefing by stating that Arkansas has been reporting on the virus for 100 days as of Thursday, as he thanked healthcare workers for their continued devotion to helping combat the spread of COVID19.
With the new cases, total confirmed cases sit at 26,052.
Also, deaths increased by four for the second straight day, bringing the total to 309 since the start of the pandemic.
Hospitalizations leaped as well with 36 additional admissions, bringing the total to 394. Three additional patients have been placed on ventilators for a
total of 82.
Of the near 6,000 active cases in the state, 5,176 cases are in the community at this time.
Hutchinson spoke regarding the amount of tests that are being administered now, which is much fewer than previous weeks.
He said the number of tests conducted by commercial labs across the nation have slowed due to demand, which has led to the state’s fewer numbers.
More than 4,700 tests were administered in the 24-hour period leading up to Thursday’s briefing.
Of the top counties with new cases, Pulaski leads once again, now with 104, followed by Washington with 78, Sebastian with
56, Faulkner with 51 and Benton with 49.
Hutchinson also said that a number of other counties reported 10 to 20 new cases Thursday.
For the first time, state officials reported the top cities in the state with the most community cases, which included Springdale with 641, Little Rock with 414, Rogers with 256,Fort Smith with 255, Conway with 203, Fayetteville with 153, Texarkana with 119, Russellville with
116, Danville with 96 and Bentonville with 78.
Saline County currently has 420 confirmed cases with 124 active. Recoveries are at 293, while deaths remain at three.
As for recoveries in the state, Dr. Nate Smith, secretary of health, said that 596 additional recoveries have been reported for a total of 19,992.
Hutchinson continues to update the state regarding the COVID-19 pandemic daily at 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.