Ventilator use reaches all-time high in state

Covid-19 hospitalizations in Arkansas decreased Sunday but remain higher than last week as reported cases are still on the rise, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

Hospitalizations decreased by 39 from Saturday to 1,413, according to Sunday’s health department covid-19 update. This is still 140 more hospitalized than reported last Sunday.

A total of 559 people are in the intensive care unit. Twelve more are on ventilators, bringing the total to a record-high of 303 — 42 more than last week. This is the first time the number of people currently on a ventilator has passed 300.

There were 1,517 new cases, which is similar to last Sunday’s report. This brings the total to 419,807 cases since March 2020, according to Health Department data.

Pulaski County had the most new cases with 197, Benton County had 107 and Washington County had 104.

“While today’s report looks similar to last Sunday, the decline in hospitalizations today is helpful,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in his daily social media statement.

The Department of Health reported that active cases of

the virus increased by 14 to 25,735 and have been steadily climbing over the last month.

As of Sunday, the demographic with the most active cases in the state are those 2534 years old with 4,720, followed by the next age group of 35-44 year olds with 4,133.

Another 22 Arkansans died from the virus, accord- ing to the Sunday update. That brings the official death toll from covid-19 in Arkansas to 6,467, of which 78.4% were over 65 years old, according to the department of health.

The vast majority of Arkansans getting sick, being hospitalized and dying from covid-19 are those who are unvaccinated, according the health department. Since Feb. 1, about 90.1% of total cases were unvaccinated individuals. They also accounted for 92.1% of hospitalizations and 90.6% of deaths within the same time frame.

“Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to be a concern,” Katie White, a spokesperson with the Arkansas Department of Health, said via email Sunday. “Vaccination numbers are improving, which is encouraging. We encourage all eligible Arkansans to get vaccinated, as this is the best way to protect yourself. The school year is starting, and we encourage all Arkansans to do their part to lower Covid-19 case counts across the state so our students can have a successful school year.”

The 6,388 more vaccine doses given is about on par but slightly lower than the numbers reported on the past couple of Sunday updates. It’s still up from July’s Sunday reports, which averaged 4,016 doses. The health department’s Sunday reports have consistently been the lowest vaccination numbers compared to other days of the week.

Individuals fully immunized increased by 3,062. The total number of Arkansans fully immunized is now 1,126,650 or 44.1% of the population 12 and up, according to Sunday’s report. Another 13.7% are partially immunized. Those younger than 12 are not eligible for vaccines.

“We’ve made real progress in vaccinations, and I applaud the school districts that have worked hard to be ready for school tomorrow,” Hutchinson said in his statement.