Update on vaccination schedule

Food manufacturing workers in Arkansas will now be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccine thanks to an increasing supply of doses in the state.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the expansion during his weekly COVID-19 Taskforce update on Tuesday. All Arkansans employed in the food manufacturing sector, including meat processing facilities, are now eligible to receive the vaccine under phase 1B.

Hutchinson explained employers can organize worksite clinics to distribute the vaccine to their workers. These workers are also able to receive vaccines through participating community pharmacies.

Phase 1B remains open to all Arkansans aged 65 and older as well as teachers in K-12, child care and higher education. First-responders and healthcare workers who did not receive their vaccine under phase 1A can still do so. Health officials hope to launch phase 1C next month – or earlier, if vaccine supplies continue to increase.

Hutchinson said the state has received more than one million vaccines since distribution began. Of those, over 652,000 – or around 60 percent – have been given. This week Arkansas also obtained its first shipment of 24,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This vaccine differs from Pfizer and Moderna in that only one dose is needed for complete inoculation and can be stored at room temperature.

Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero said the arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is good news for reversing the pandemic in Arkansas.

Hutchinson then announced the first case United Kingdom COVID-19 variant has been detected in Arkansas. He explained this was inevitable but also expected given how common virus mutate. This is why flu shots are required on a yearly basis.