Arkansas’ case count declined on Monday after soaring last week, but the death toll saw a single-day spike.
On Monday, Dec. 21, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 58 new deaths attributed to COVID-19. Of these deaths, 43 were confirmed and 15 were probable COVID deaths.
This brings the state’s death toll to 3,295 since the pandemic’s beginning. There have been 2,885 confirmed COVID deaths and 410 probable deaths. Across the globe, there have been 1,698,768 deaths due to COVID-19 and 318,563 deaths in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In a statement, Gov. Asa Hutchinson addressed the spike of deaths, attributing part of the deaths to delayed reporting.
“Today we began receiving shipments of the Moderna vaccine (5,900 doses), with additional shipments expected tomorrow and Wednesday. We also received a second shipment of the Pfizer vaccine (18,575 doses). While this news provides hope for many, it is a continued concern to see the loss of 58 additional Arkansans (20 are delayed reports). We must steel our resolve to take every precaution to keep everyone safe,” he said.
There were 1,457 new cases reported on Monday, bringing the state’s total count to 203,107. There were 1,069 confirmed new cases and 388 probable cases. Hospitalizations and ventilator use also increased on Monday, rising by 21 and four, respectively. There are now 1,078 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and 174 individuals on ventilators.
Despite the increase in case, Arkansas saw a decrease in its active case count. The Department of Health reported that there were 843 fewer active cases compared to Sunday. This brings the active case count to 22,158.
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