Arkansas COVID-19 patients on ventilators climbs Monday

The number of Arkansas COVID-19 patients on a ventilator climbed to a new high on Monday as the state reported 33 new coronavirus deaths amid the summer surge driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

The Department of Health reported the state’s COVID patients on ventilators rose by 17 to 361, surpassing the high the state set last week. 

The department reported there are 21 available ICU beds in the state, though it’s not clear how many of those are equipped for COVID-19 patients.

The state last week ran out of ICU beds for virus patients – although availability has slightly eased since then.