New and active COVID-19 cases post big week-over-week declines

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) on Monday (Feb. 8) reported 637 new COVID-19 cases, well below the 1,226 reported on the previous Monday. Total testing in the past 24 hours was 6,712, below the 8,201 reported the previous Monday.

New confirmed and probable cases pushed the cumulative total to 307,373. Active confirmed and probable cases fell by 1,004 to 15,320. Deaths rose by 30 to 5,106. Hospitalizations fell by 4 to 777, well below the 889 on the previous Monday. The ADH also reported 120 available ICU beds as of 2 p.m. Monday, up from 92 on Sunday.

The state has received 561,150 vaccines since federal distribution began Dec. 14. Vaccines administered in the previous 24 hours rose by 1,946 to 379,624, or 67.7% of vaccines received. The federal program in which CVS and Walgreens are managing vaccinations in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities has received 49,400 vaccines since Dec. 28. Vaccines administered in the past 24 hours rose by 496 to 19,937, or 40.4% of vaccines received.

“Today’s report shows nearly half as many new cases as last Monday. This, as well as almost 90,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered last week, provides us with hope as we continue to fight this pandemic. Our united efforts as a state will help to get past this, but it takes everyone working together,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday.

COVID REPORT – Feb. 8
New known COVID-19 cases, active cases, tests
• Total confirmed and probable cases: 307,373, up 637
• Total confirmed and probable active cases: 15,370, down 1,004
• Total confirmed and probable deaths: 5,106, up 30
• There were 6,139 test results provided in the previous 24 hours.
• There were 573 antigen tests in the previous 24 hours.

Hospitalizations
777, down 4

Ventilators
142, up 16

The top five counties with new known cases reported Monday were: Pulaski (125), Benton (52), Garland (45), Lonoke (36), and Sebastian (33). The counties accounted for 45.7% of the 637 new confirmed and probable cases.

As of Monday at 3:30 p.m., there were 27,057,411 U.S. cases and 464,372 deaths. Globally, there were 106,395,021 cases and 2,322,611 deaths.