Phase 2 of Vaccinations will begin next week

State officials say Arkansas teachers and residents aged 70 or older will begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations starting next week.

During his weekly COVID-19 Taskforce update on Tuesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the next phase of vaccinations would begin Jan. 18. This phase, titled 1-B, includes Arkansans aged 70 or older as well as those employed in education across the state. Hutchinson said school districts, colleges and universities would need to determine the number of doses they need and then collaborate with the Arkansas Department of Health to set up vaccination clinics.

Elderly Arkansans included in Phase 1-B would need to contact their local pharmacy and set up an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. A full list of participating pharmacies can be found on the Department of Health’s website at healthy.arkansas.gov.

Hutchinson said the next phase is proceeding earlier than planned due to the efficiency of the Phase 1-A rollout which focused on healthcare workers, nursing home residents and first responders.

So far the state has received over 227,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Of those, nearly 89,000 doses have been administered, or about 39 percent of those received thus far. That figure also amounts to around three percent of the entire population of Arkansas.

Hutchinson said the state hopes to increase not just the rate at which the state receives vaccine doses, but also the rate at which they’re administered.