Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was joined by members of his cabinet to update citizens on the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday. Click below to listen to the entire address:
Arkansas reports 520 new coronavirus cases, 5 more deaths
The Health Department said at least 20,777 people in the state have tested positive for the virus, an increase over the 20,257 reported Monday. The department said 5,976 of those cases are active, meaning they don’t include people who have recovered or died.
The true number of cases in Arkansas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
The number of people who have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, rose from 265 to 270. The number of people hospitalized dropped by 10 to 290.
Arkansas has seen a steady rise in coronavirus cases since last month, when the state began allowing businesses that had closed because of the pandemic to reopen. The number of active cases in the state has risen nearly 260% since Memorial Day, while hospitalizations have nearly tripled in that same time period.