Arkansas reports 44 COVID-19 deaths

(From Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson)

Governor Asa Hutchinson provided today's update on Arkansas's COVID-19 response.

In its Monday update, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 636 new cases; 17,792 active cases; 1,084 hospitalized, which is up 4 from Sunday; 187 on ventilators, which is up 17 from Sunday; deaths added today, 44, for a total of 4,650; a total of 284,702 cases; 211,684 recoveries; PCR tests, 6,486; antigen tests, 357.

The Health Department reported that the top counties for new cases are Pulaski, 138; Washington, 69; Benton, 66; Craighead, 33; and Jefferson, 29.

Governor Hutchinson released the following statement on today’s COVID-19 numbers:

"While we saw a significant decline in new cases, our testing was also lower. An additional 44 deaths and a slight increase in hospitalizations remind us of the challenge we continue to face with this pandemic and what happens if we don't follow health department guidelines."