Arkansas hits new high for ventilator use

LITTLE ROCK — The number of Arkansas COVID-19 patients on ventilators reached another high Wednesday as a hospital urged the postponement of a motorcycle rally expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to the state's northwest next month.

The Department of Health said 354 coronavirus patients were on ventilators, surpassing the previous high set Monday. There are 1,368 COVID-19 patients in Arkansas hospitals, with 534 in ICUs.

Coronavirus patients make up nearly half of the state's ICU beds. There are four hospitals in the state with ICU beds for coronavirus patients, according to the state's system for coordinating COVID-19 patients. The state on Tuesday ran out of ICU beds for virus patients for the first time since the pandemic began.

Overall, the state reported 27 ICU beds available, though it was not clear how many were equipped for ICU patients.

Arkansas on Wednesday reported 2,781 new virus cases and 25 new COVID-19 deaths. The state reported more than 12,000 new doses of the coronavirus vaccine were given.

Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2021/aug/26/arkansas-hits-new-high-ventilator-use/885313/