State logs 165 infections, but active cases decline

Arkansas had 165 new covid-19 cases Saturday and a decrease of 29 active cases, according to data from the state Department of Health.

That raises the total number of covid-19 cases in just over a year to 329,860, with 2,032 currently active, compared with 2,676 active cases a week earlier.

Meanwhile, the number of vaccine doses administered under the state’s program is quickly approaching 1 million, with 21,805 additional doses given Saturday for a total of 961,713, according to Health Department data.

“Last year, the urgent COVID message was ‘wear a mask,’” Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted Saturday. “Masks remain important, but today’s urgent message is ‘get vaccinated.’”

On March 16, Hutchinson opened vaccine eligibility to people in Phase 1-C, less than two weeks after opening Phase 1-B eligibility.

Benton and Pulaski counties saw the most new cases Saturday with 27 and 26, respectively. All other counties saw 16 or fewer new cases.

A week earlier, Benton and Pulaski counties also reported the most new cases, with 44 and 49, respectively, and all other counties reported 21 or fewer.

On Saturday, 170 Arkansans

“Last year, the urgent COVID message was ‘wear a mask,’” Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted Saturday. “Masks remain important, but today’s urgent message is ‘get vaccinated.’”

were hospitalized with covid-19, six fewer than on Friday. There were 28 patients on ventilators, compared with 32 on Friday. The number of patients on ventilators has been below 50 since Monday.

Since March 2020, 5,590 Arkansans have died of covid-19, including seven new deaths recorded Saturday.