More than 19,000 COVID-19 tests were reported on Friday, Dec. 18. According to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, this is a record high in Arkansas for a single day of testing.
There were 13,816 PCR tests reported by the Arkansas Department of Health and 5,262 antigen tests. In total, the state reported 19,078 tests on Friday.
“The 19,000 plus COVID-19 tests reported today are a record high. There continues to be a high level of spread throughout our communities, in both highly-populated areas and more rural areas. We must remain diligent over the weekend and not relax in following the public health guidelines,” Hutchinson said in a statement.
For the month of December, Arkansas has performed 217,750 PCR tests and 49,812 antigen tests. There have been a combined 267,562 tests conducted in Arkansas to date in December.
The increased testing comes as cases in Arkansas are spiking. Friday saw the number of COVID-19 cases shoot up by 2,878, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 197,421. Of the day’s new cases, 1,922 were confirmed and 956 were probable.
This was a small decrease from Thursday’s count, when the state reported 3,039 new cases.
Arkansas currently has 22,392 total active cases, an increase of 733 on Friday. There were 236 confirmed new active cases, while 497 were probable new active cases.
Deaths increased by 27, bringing the total in Arkansas to 3,130.
Hospitalizations, however, decreased on Friday. There were 11 fewer hospitalizations, according to the Department of Health, with 1,073 total. Ventilator use also dropped, falling by seven to a total of 181.
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