State reports 881 virus cases, 30 deaths

Hutchinson notes ‘steady declines,’ progress in distribution of vaccines

Arkansas reported 881 new covid-19 cases Sunday, bringing the total case number to 295,268, according to the Arkansas Department of Health’s daily covid-19 update.

Thirty more deaths were reported, bringing the state’s death toll from the virus to 4,868.

Total active cases has decreased by 454 from Saturday, to 17,154, according to the Health Department. The state has seen a decline of over 2,200 active cases from the same time last week.

“The past week has shown steady declines, but we cannot allow this to let us become complacent and lose the progress we’ve made,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday on Facebook and Twitter.

January’s PCR and antigen tests total 331,812 and 81,505, respectively, which together is over 10% of the state’s population.

Hospitalizations on Sunday were at 913, an increase of two from Saturday. Patients on ventilators increased by two, to 148, the Health Department reported.

Pulaski County ranked first in new cases with 221, followed by Benton County with 85; Sebastian County with 42; Washington County with 37; and Saline County with 36.

The Health Department identified 751 new confirmed cases as community spread and 12 new confirmed cases in correctional facilities.

Hutchinson said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that the distribution of the coronavirus vaccines has been “seamless” under the administration of President Joe Biden.

Across the state, 6,864 more people received vaccinations at hospitals, state long-term care facilities or from another health care provider. This brings the total doses administered since Dec. 14, when the state began inoculations, to 290,886. The figure accounted for 61.8% of the unchanged total of 470,600 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines that Arkansas has received.

Hutchinson said anything that can be done to speed up production of vaccines, including invoking the Defense Production Act, would be good.

“In terms of the vaccine distribution, it’s been seamless. And I was delighted that we had a … 14% increase in vaccine supply last week. This is going to be very, very important for us,” Hutchinson said.

A federal program through CVS and Walgreens administered 756 more doses in Arkansas as of Sunday. Since beginning inoculations on Dec. 28, the program has given out 16,672 of the 49,400 doses allocated for the state, according to the Department of Health.

“Thank goodness we have that partnership, which is good with the federal government. And President Biden and his team is — is working to assure that partnership and not tear it apart, which I’m very grateful for,” Hutchinson said on “This Week.”

In total, 520,000 doses have been received or allocated and 307,558 doses have been given to Arkansans.

More information about the virus and vaccines is available at www.healthy.arkansas.gov/ programs-services/topics/novel-coronavirus.