Arkansas Online

TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022 State covid-19 hospital tally up a 2nd day

Patient number exceeds 70 for 1st time in over a month

ANDY DAVIS

The number of people hospitalized with covid-19 in Arkansas rose above 70 on Monday for the first time in more than a month as the state’s new cases continued to trend upward.

The state’s death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, rose by one, to 11,446.

Growing for the second day in a row, the reported number of covid-19 patients in the state’s hospitals rose by six, to 73.

It was the first time the number had been above 70 since April 12, which was about a week before the current uptick in the state’s new cases started.

The state’s case count rose Monday by 88. While smaller by 58 than the increase on Sunday, it was up by 14 from the one the previous Monday.

Due to slowdowns in testing and reporting on weekends, the state’s new case numbers tend to be smaller on Sundays and Mondays than on other days.

Already at its highest level since the week ending March 27, the average daily increase in the state’s case count over a rolling seven-day period rose Monday to 285.

With recoveries outnumbering new cases, however, the number of cases in the state that were considered active fell by 149, to 3,078.

After not changing a day earlier, the number of the state’s virus patients who were reported to be on ventilators fell by two, to six, which was tied with the number on May 17 and Wednesday for the smallest since March 25, 2020.

Rising for the second straight day, the number reported to be in intensive care grew by two, to 20.

CASES BY COUNTY

Pulaski County had the most new cases, 26, on Monday, followed by Benton County with eight and Faulkner County with five.

The state’s cumulative count of cases since March 2020 rose to 840,678.

The Health Department’s tally of vaccine doses that had been administered rose by 216, which was larger by 48 than the daily increase a week earlier.

The most recent increase included 74 doses for people receiving the vaccine for the first time, which was up by 28 from the increase in first

doses a week earlier.

Growing for the fourth day in a row, the average number of total doses administered each day over a rolling seven-day period rose to 1,501, the first time it had been above 1,500 since the week ending May 5.

The average for first doses rose to 351.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67% of Arkansans had received at least one vaccine dose as of Monday, and 54.7% had been fully vaccinated.

Of those who were fully vaccinated, 40.1% had received a booster dose.

Data recently added to the CDC’s website also indicate that 81,535 Arkansans age 50 or older had received a second booster dose. That’s about 17.9% of the people in that age group who had received an initial booster.

The second booster was authorized in March for people age 50 and older, as well as people 12 or older with compromised immune systems, who received their first booster dose at least four months ago.

Among Arkansans age 65 or older, 63,000, or 23.8% of those in that age group who received a first booster, had received a second booster, according to the CDC.

Nationally, the percentages of people with an initial booster who had received a second one were 20% for those 50 and over and 25.9% for those age 65 and older.

In the percentage of its residents who had at least started their primary vaccination series, Arkansas as of Monday ranked 37th among the states and District of Columbia.

In the percentage who were fully vaccinated, it was roughly tied with Tennessee for 46th, ahead of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Wyoming.

Nationally, 77.8% of people had received at least one dose, and 66.5% were fully vaccinated.

Of the fully vaccinated population nationally, 46.5% had received a booster dose.

Arkansas

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2022-05-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/281943136500013

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