Arkansas’ COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a new high for the second day in a row on Tuesday. virus hospitalizations rose by 59 to 1,435.

Arkansas’ latest surge has been brought on by the extra-contagious delta variant and the state’s low vaccination rate. Arkansas ranks third in the country for new virus cases per capita, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state is working with the state hospital association to free up space and noted that lawmakers approved a plan to use $129 million in federal virus relief funds to aid hospitals. The governor said the state is also looking at suggestions from a federal “surge response team” on ways to open hospital space.

COVIDComm, the state’s system for matching COVID-19 patients with hospitals, earlier Tuesday said only one hospital among the 42 in its system had ICU capacity for virus patients. COVIDComm Program Manager Jeff Tabor said the latest surge is worse than over the winter.

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