‘STARTLING NUMBERS’

Arkansas Has 8 ICU Beds Left in the Entire State as COVID-19 Cases Surge

“Vaccinations reduce hospitalizations,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted as the state saw its largest single-day increase in hospitalizations.

Arkansas has only eight ICU beds left across the state as COVID cases spike and a record number of hospitalizations are reported by the department of health. There have been nearly 1,400 hospitalizations in the state, with 515 patients in intensive care and half of those placed on ventilators. “Today’s report shows some very startling numbers. We saw the largest single-day increase in hospitalizations and have eclipsed our previous high of COVID hospitalizations,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted. “Vaccinations reduce hospitalizations.” Only 42.9 percent of eligible people in the state are fully vaccinated. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national average is 58.7 percent.