Vaccine schedule

The state is in its second month of vaccinating people against covid-19. The Arkansas Pharmacists Association has a website devoted to information about the vaccine: https://www.arrx.org/covid-vaccine

Phase 1-A (began Dec. 14)

Who: Health care workers, long-term care residents and staff, EMS, fire and law enforcement who serve as first responders and other high priority groups. How: Hospitals vaccinate workers. Pharmacies vaccinate long-term care residents/staff. Community-based pharmacies vaccinate others.

Phase 1-B (began Jan. 18)

Who: People 70+ years old, teachers and school staff, child care and higher education workers. Later in 1-B: food/agricultural workers, firefighters and police not in 1-A, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, child care workers, U.S. Postal Service workers, essential government workers.

How: Community pharmacies and medical clinics.

Phase 1-C (estimated to begin in April)

Who: People 65+ years old, people 16-64 years old with high-risk medical conditions and workers in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing, finance, IT and communications, energy, media, public safety and public health workers.

How: Community pharmacies and medical clinics.

Phase 2

A large number of doses will be available allowing the general population to be vaccinated.

Phase 3

Enough doses will be available for all needing vaccination, and there will be a shift to providing routine covid-19 vaccinations.

NOTE: Phases 1-B and 1-C are subject to change depending on further recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and vaccine supply.