SCHOOLS in Northwest Arkansas report covid-19 cases.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday ... Washington County had the highest number of new cases in a 24hour period with 215 of the state’s 1,094 new cases.

FAYETTEVILLE — Schools in Northwest Arkansas are continuing to report increases in covid-19 cases and the number of students, staff and faculty in quarantine after coming into contact with others with the virus.

Rogers Public Schools has had 27 cumulative cases and had 186 people in quarantine as of Friday, according to the district’s website.

The Springdale district has had 25 cases and had 172 people quarantined, according to the district’s website.

The districts’ data include students, staff and faculty.

Bentonville’s School District had 19 cumulative covid-19 cases, according to the district’s website. The district had 283 students and 18 faculty or staff members who were quarantined and unable to attend school.

The Fayetteville district has had six students and two staff or faculty members test positive for the virus. Sixty-five students and 41 staff and/or faculty members were in quarantine as of Friday, according to the district’s website.

Hospitals in Benton and Washington counties had 23 patients in covid-19 units as of Friday, according to a statement from the region’s largest health care organizations by Martine Pollard, a spokeswoman at Mercy Health System.

Twenty-two patients in the region were on ventilators. The number includes patients with and without covid-19, according to the statement.

Washington County had a cumulative 7,203 cases, including 381 active cases as of 4 p.m. Friday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday during his daily news briefing that

Washington County had the highest number of new cases in a 24-hour period with 215 of the state’s 1,094 new cases. Of the new cases in Washington County, 82%, or about 176, were among people ages 18-24, he said.

Benton County had a cumulative 5,503 cases, including 289 active cases, as of 4 p.m. Friday, according to the Health Department.

A total of 64,665 covid-19 have been performed among Benton County residents, while a total of 66,675 tests have been performed among Washington County residents, according to the department.

State officials frequently remind residents anyone can get tested at the Benton or Washington county health units.

Most other testing sites in Northwest Arkansas have been prioritizing people who have covid-19 symptoms amid concerns about the availability of testing material since early July, according to a joint statement from Arkansas Children’s Northwest, Community Clinic, Mercy Northwest Arkansas, Northwest Health, UAMS Northwest, Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks and Washington Regional Medical Center.

Mercy Health System collected specimens to be tested from 13,660 people from March 20 through Tuesday, according to the latest data available from Jennifer Cook, spokeswoman. People who suspect they have covid-19 must call Mercy, be screened and make an appointment before going to its evaluation site in Bentonville.

Community Clinic, which has three coronavirus screening sites in Northwest Arkansas, collected 17,036 specimens from people from March 30 through Thursday, according to Abbie Luzius, community development manager for Community Clinic. Patients are encouraged, but not required, to call before coming to a clinic.

The state Health Department began testing May 18 at county health units. The Washington County health units collected 14,490 specimens, and the Benton County health units collected 5,202 as of Thursday, according to the department.

Washington Regional Health System collected 15,231 specimens to be tested from people from March 16 through Thursday at its screening clinics, according to Cynthia Crowder, spokeswoman. Patients are encouraged, but not required, to call before going to the clinics.

Specimens to be tested for covid-19 are collected via nasal and mouth swabs.