Arkansas reports more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases for third straight day

Arkansas reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases for the third straight day on Friday.

The state reported 1,155 new coronavirus cases on Friday, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health.

The number is greater than the 1,000 new infections reported Wednesday but less than the 1,210 new cases reported Thursday.

The state has seen a surge in coronavirus infections in recent weeks due in part to the rise of the delta strain of the coronavirus first discovered in India and a lagging vaccination rate.

Late last month, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) implored residents to get vaccinated amid the surge.

“The overwhelming majority of COVID patients in the hospital have not been vaccinated. These vaccines are effective, but we need more Arkansans to get the shot,” he said at the time.

Just under 35 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to The Associated Press, Hutchinson has begun a series of town halls aimed at increasing vaccinations.

As of Friday, Arkansas has reported 355,460 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began. The state reported four new deaths on Friday, bringing the cumulative death toll to 5,948.

The CDC said earlier this week that the delta variant now accounts for the majority of new coronavirus cases across the country.

The variant is attributed to a rise in coronavirus infections across several states.

Missouri, for instance, is seeing its own surge in cases due in part to the variant. On Friday, the state also recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections for the third day in a row.