While the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Arkansas remained high, the state Department of Health reported Thursday that the number of hospitalizations dropped below 1,000 for the first time in nearly six weeks. Active cases also continued making a sharp decline.
During his weekly press conference, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced 45 additional deaths had occurred, which brought the total since the start of the pandemic to 10,235. 80% of the deaths involved people who had not been vaccinated.
Hospitalizations in the state dropped by 73 since Wednesday to 931, marking the first time since Jan. 8 that the number of people being treated fell below 1,000. With the state dropping below that threshold, Hutchinson said he would no longer release a daily COVID-19 graphic on his Twitter account, though the raw data would still be available through the Department of Health’s website.
Hutchinson noted that vaccinations in the previous 24 hours had “a big jump,” with 4,019 doses administered.
“To all the Arkansans out there, thank you for understanding the importance of it and the difference it makes to our state and to our community and our individuals,” Hutchinson said.
While he praised people for getting vaccinated, Hutchinson reiterated his opposition to government mandates. That includes outside the U.S., with Hutchinson saying he had written a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraging him to lift a vaccination requirement for truck drivers crossing into Canada. Truckers had recently blocked a key border crossing to protest the mandate.
Hutchinson said he had also written a similar letter to President Joe Biden.
“This is not a time for government mandates and I think that has been proven ill-advised by the courts that have held most of the mandates unconstitutional,” Hutchinson said.
The state reported 1,149 new cases Thursday of people testing positive for the virus. With recoveries and deaths outpacing new infections, the number of known active cases declined by 482, with 12,484 people feeling the effects of the virus.
