The total number of coronavirus cases in Arkansas climbed to 23,209 Saturday, an increase of 587 over the previous day, according to statistics released by the Arkansas Department of Health.
Five more covid-19 victims died, raising the total to 286.
The number of hospitalizations increased by 20 to 305, with 148 of those being treated in intensive care units. Sixty-nine were on ventilators, down one from the previous day.
Most of the 23,209 people who have tested positive for the virus -- 16,726 -- have already recovered. Another 6,125 are still active cases, meaning they continue to battle the infection.
The number of new cases was higher than the 547 announced Friday, but well below the record 878 cases reported Thursday.
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"It's kind of in line with what we've been seeing for the past couple of weeks or so," said Dr. Joel Tumlison, a Health Department physician consultant for outbreak response.
The latest figures underscore the need for social distancing, masks and other precautions, he said.
"There's still a lot of people with covid out there, so you need to continue to be careful," he said.
Overall, the reported Arkansas covid-19 count increased by 3,899 over the past seven days, an average of 557 per day.
The number of active cases increased over the past seven days by 344, rising from 5,781 to 6,125. The number of recoveries rose by 3,456 during the same period.
In the past week, overall cases increased by 20.2%.
The numbers are provisional, officials said, noting that the figures are updated as new information arrives.
With many traditional Independence Day events canceled, the opportunities for spreading the virus, hopefully, have been reduced, Tumlison said.
When people do gather, outdoors is typically safer than indoors, he said.
"Let's set our lawn chairs farther apart than, maybe, we would normally do," he said.
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Social distancing and face coverings remain essential, he said.
"If you're all alone in the middle of a park by yourself, fine. If you're swimming or something, fine. But if there's a chance you could be close to people, please wear a mask," Tumlison said.
No area of the state is being hit harder than Northwest Arkansas. Washington County, with 3,932 cases, leads the state. Of those, 1,142 are active. Benton County, with 2,961 cases, is second; 646 are active. Pulaski County, the state's largest county by population, has had 2,345 cases. Of those, 722 are active.
Lincoln County, with 1,041 cases, was the only other county above 1,000. It has 19 active cases.
The virus has now infected people in all 75 Arkansas counties.
Calhoun County, population 5,189, reported its first two cases last week.
Since the start of the pandemic, results from 338,893 tests have been reported in Arkansas. Roughly 93.2% -- 315,684 -- were negative.
The number of test results, for the week, rose by 47,671
Statewide, 14.4% of the Arkansas cases have been in correctional facilities, while 2.4% have been in nursing homes. Health care workers account for 6% of the cases.
Of the 286 deaths, 101 -- or 35.3% -- have been linked to nursing homes. Another 14 -- or 4.9% -- have been connected to correctional facilities, according to the Health Department.
Of those testing positive, 54% are male, 44% are female and 1% are unknown.
As is the case elsewhere, covid-19 is proving particularly devastating in older populations. People 65 and older account for 10% of the cases but 71% of the deaths.
People ages 45-64 account for 27% of the cases and 23% of the deaths.
Those ages 25-44 make up 37% of all cases and 6% of all the deaths, according to the Health Department website. Children age 17 and under account for 13% of the cases, while people 18-24 make up 13% of the cases.
No deaths in the state have been reported among those younger than 25.
People falling ill in Arkansas are disproportionately nonwhite.
While whites make up 79% of the state's population, they account for 52% of the state's covid-19 cases and 57% of fatalities. Blacks make up 24% of those testing positive and 26% of those who die; the state's population is 15.7% Black. Two percent of those testing positive are Asian, who make up 1.7% of the state population. They also account for 1% of the deaths.
Pacific Islanders represent 7% of those testing positive and 9% of those succumbing to covid-19, state data shows. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders make up 0.4% of the state's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 15% of all Arkansas covid-19 cases and in 7% of the deaths, the race is listed as "other."
In Arkansas, Hispanics account for 25% of all covid-19 cases and 8% of the deaths. Only 7.8% of the state's residents are Hispanic, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Many of those testing positive have additional health problems: 11.1% have hypertension; 7% have diabetes; 2.5% have heart disease; 2% have chronic pulmonary disease; and 0.7% are immunocompromised, according to Health Department data.
The battle against covid-19 will be a long one, Tumlison said.
"We've really got to keep at it," he said.
"It's not going away. We're going to be dealing with this for months."
