Hutchinson keeps up vaccine push as cases spike
Vaccination clinic today in El Dorado
Gov. Asa Hutchinson provided an update on the state’s strategies for addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic Thursday with a press conference that addressed Arkansas schools’ virus mitigation tactics, continuing efforts to encourage Arkansans to get vaccinated and booster vaccine shots for immunocompromised Arkansans.
Cases across the state and school strategies
While the number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily fell early in the week, by Thursday the trend had ended.
“I want to start with the case report, which sadly broke any trend that was developed in the last three days where we had a downward trend in cases, but today you see we have 3,549 new cases,” Hutchinson said.
He said the Arkansas Department of Health has attributed Thursday’s spike, at least in part, to cases developing in schools.
Dr. Ivy Pfeffer, a deputy secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education, said that as of Thursday, however, no school- or district-wide modifications had been implemented at any school district in Arkansas. During the 2020/2021 school year, periodically schools or entire districts closed their doors to in-person learning due to high numbers of COVID-19 cases within their schools or communities.
“The number of disruptions is significantly lower in many schools, in spite of some of the positive cases, and that’s due to the number of vaccines that both staff and students have received, and also because several of our school districts have implemented mask requirements which also cut down on the number of quarantines,” she said.
She said the start of the school year, which for many schools in Arkansas, including all the districts in Union County, was this week, has been smooth.
“We really want to credit that to the fact that our schools are ready; they’ve done a tremendous amount of planning, a lot of communication,” Pfeffer said. “And we also want to credit the cooperation that they are getting from their parents and their communities.”
Hutchinson also commended local school boards on making decisions they felt were in the best interest of district students, referencing a recent court ruling that barred authorities from enforcing Act 1002 of 2021, which banned local government entities, including school boards, from instituting mask mandates.
Hutchinson said that since Judge Tim Fox’s ruling in early August, 118 districts had adopted mask policies; 87 districts chose not to adopt mask policies; and 57 districts had taken no formal
action. Several university systems, including the University of Arkansas system, as well as individual colleges, have also implemented mask mandates or other policies regarding the use of face masks.
“I want to take a second to applaud our school boards and school leadership across the state of Arkansas. As a result of Judge Fox’s ruling, they have the opportunity to make their own decision on their local school district as to following the CDC and Department of Health guidelines on masks in schools,” he said.
Act 1002 is currently still being litigated. Both the CDC and ADH recommend that students and school staff wear masks when indoors in schools, regardless of whether the student or staff member is vaccinated.
“What we see is that school districts are weighing this decision very carefully. They’re listening to people and they’re making a judgment based upon what they see is the best public health outcome for the students in their district,” Hutchinson said. “To me, they have served well, they have taken on that responsibility and they have represented their districts.”
Vaccinations
Hutchinson said that according to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 51.2% of the state’s total population has received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, he announced that the state was launching a “stop the hesitation, get the vaccination” campaign to further encourage Arkansans to get vaccinated.
“These statistics that we see — both the increase in the number of cases as well as the statistics that vaccination is your best path to avoiding hospitalization or serious consequences from this — … we’re continuing that emphasis on vaccinations,” the governor said.
He noted that the FDA last week approved the use of booster vaccine shots in people who are severely or moderately immunocompromised.
“I’m encouraging them to get their booster doses; they can receive that at any pharmacy or at a local health unit or with their primary care providers or their sub-specialists, if they have them,” said Dr. Jose Romero, state health secretary.
Hutchinson and Romero also touched on recent news that a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines may soon be approved as booster shots for people who aren’t immunocompromised as well.
“We are awaiting … FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) approval of the vaccine and policy recommendations for the use of those vaccines,” Romero said. “Given the fact that we addressed high-risk individuals … first, they will receive the vaccines first. … Right now we don’t believe that everybody needs a booster immediately.”
Hutchinson said the state is working to develop plans for providing booster shots to most people.
“We are currently developing plans to implement that strategy, even though we’re not ready to do that yet. We’re working with our pharmacists, our hospitals and making sure that we will have the vaccines,” he said.
The governor noted that since February 1, most COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been in unvaccinated people. According to data from the ADH, 90.96% of cases have been in people who weren’t fully immunized; 92.56% of hospitalizations have been in people who weren’t fully immunized; and 91.46% of deaths have been in people who weren’t fully immunized.
On Thursday, the number of Arkansans who got a vaccine shot dropped from previous days.
“Hopefully that will kick that back up, because I liked the vaccinations when they were around 10,000 a day, but it’s hard to sustain that, partly, probably, because we had a rush of students getting vaccinated prior to school. Now that they’re in school, we don’t want to lose our focus on increasing those students that are vaccinated as well,” Hutchinson said.
Several vaccine clinics are planned in the upcoming weeks in El Dorado. Vaccination against COVID-19 is free and one does not need health insurance to get vaccinated.
The UAMS Mobile Vaccine Unit has two scheduled stops in El Dorado upcoming. Today, in partnership with Murphy USA, a clinic for people 12 and older will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MUSA corporate office at 200 E. Peach Street; and on Wednesday, August 25, a vaccine clinic for people 12 and older will be held in partnership with the SHARE Foundation and the Interfaith Clinic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the SHARE Foundation office at 2299 Champagnolle Rd.
Three COVID-19 vaccines developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been approved for use in the United States. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use in people as young as 12 years old, while the latter two are approved for use in anyone over the age of 18.
In Union County, COVID vaccines are available at Melvin’s Discount Pharmacy, Walmart, Walgreens and the Union County Local Health Unit. To set a vaccination appointment at Melvin’s, call 870-8634155; for Walmart, visit walmart.com/COVID; for Walgreens, visit walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid/19/landing and for the Local Health Unit, call 1-800-985-6030.
COVID testing is also available in Union County at SAMA, at 600 S. Timberlane in El Dorado; Medical Center of South Arkansas, at 700 W. Grove in El Dorado; Walgreens at 701 W. Grove and 2135 N. West Ave in El Dorado; the Union County Local Health Unit, at 301 American Rd. in El Dorado; and the Strong Clinic, at 253 S. Concord in Strong.
Afghanistan
Hutchinson also addressed the situation that has developed in Afghanistan over the past week, specifically the evacuation of both Americans and Afghans as U.S. troops leave the country.
“That has developed into a military crisis, a humanitarian crisis — both at the same time — and I reflect back on my post9/11 world in which we had to protect America from a terrorist attack and what our men and women did in Afghanistan was extraordinary,” he said. “They received the cooperation of the Afghan people, many of whom, at great risk to themselves, supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.”
He said Arkansas would welcome Afghan refugees after prioritizing the evacuation of American soldiers, contractors and other personnel that are still in the country.
“The second priority, though, should be those Afghan nationals that fought alongside, trained alongside and supported the U.S. mission. The point I want to make today is that Arkansas understands the American responsibility toward those families, those brave people that supported the United States of America in its mission and Arkansas would welcome them,” he said. “Arkansas would certainly stand in the gap there and say we want to do our part and fulfill the mission and responsibility that America has toward those families.”