Vaccine schedule
The state is about to enter its second month of vaccinating people against covid-19. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that some people in group 1-B can start receiving vaccinations on Monday. 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 members; emergency medical services, fire and law enforcement official, who serve as first responders; and other high priority groups.
How: Hospitals vaccinate workers. Pharmacies vaccinate long-term-care residents/staff members. Community-based pharmacies vaccinate others.
Phase 1-B (begins Jan. 18)
Who: People 70-plus years old, teachers and school staffs, 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-plus 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, information technology 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.