Governor Asa Hutchinson Update

Arkansas officials are adding COVID-19 booster shots to their campaign to increase vaccinations against the virus across the state. 

During his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot is now available to eligible people in the state. Those include people who received their Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago and meet the following criteria:

-If a person is 65 years of age or older
-If a person is 18 years of age or older and residing in a long-term care setting
-Anyone 18 to 64 years old with an underlying medical condition
-Anyone 18 to 64 who is at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure or transmission because of their occupation

Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero addressed Pfizer’s announcement on Tuesday that trials have been submitted to the FDA on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine among children aged five to 11. Romero said those trials suggest the vaccine is both safe and available, and could be available to the public before the year’s end.

In terms of Arkansas’ COVID-19 figures, the Department of Health reported an additional 800 cases on Tuesday for a cumulative total of nearly 494,000 since the pandemic began. Active cases fell by 647 to nearly 11,000 currently. Deaths increased by 21 over the same period for a total of 7,651. Hospitalizations fell by 26 to leave 809 Arkansans currently hospitalized due to the virus.