Elderly, educators included in next vaccination phase

Residents should contact pharmacies to have names placed on waiting list

More people will soon be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine after Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced this week the state is expanding its distribution effort.

The first phase of the vaccine was primarily for health care workers and first responders.

Beginning Monday, people ages 70 and older, teachers at public schools, colleges and universities, and child care workers will be eligible to receive the vaccine.

The Arkansas Department of Health has identified pharmacies in each of the state’s 75 counties to receive and distribute the vaccine. In St. Francis County, those pharmacies are Forrest City Family Pharmacy and the Palestine Family Pharmacy.

Jarod Caldwell, a pharmacist with FC Family Pharmacy, this morning said the business received its first shipment of the vaccine late last week. Since that time, nearly all of the doses received have been administered based on state guidelines for the first phase of distribution.

“We received our first shipment at both locations on Thursday,” said Caldwell. “We were supposed to have gotten it on Monday, but there have been problems with distribution at the state level.”

Caldwell said the demand for the vaccine at this time is outpacing the supply.

“We constantly have people asking about the vaccine,” said Caldwell. “A lot of people are eager to receive it, especially since they’re lowering the age limit to 70.”

He stressed that the best way for a person to be included in the next round is to contact the pharmacy and be placed on a waiting list to be contacted once a dose becomes available. He said the same person is scheduling appointments for the FC and Palestine pharmacies to make it easier.

“At this point, the best we can do is take names and put them on a list to call and schedule an appointment later on because we don’t know what we’ll receive as far as inventory, and there has been a big holdup on that,” he said.

Caldwell said he has been out of the pharmacy the past couple of days administering the vaccine. “I’ve been going to doctor’s offices and such. Yesterday, I went to the sheriff’s department to give the vaccination,” he said. “By having those individuals at those locations, we’ve been able to do as many as possible in a controlled environment and that has worked.”

Although Caldwell has been administering vaccines, he said not all of those who qualify in the first round have been receptive to receiving the first of two shots.

“It’s kind of been all over the place, even at medical facilities. Some staff members have been really uncomfortable with it. I’ve not had anyone flat out say no, but several have said not right now. It’s going to be interesting, honestly, because people are questioning it,” said Caldwell.

Although no local doctor’s offices have been given the vaccine to administer at this time, pharmacies are working with those offices to ensure that none of the vials that are opened are wasted.

Each vial contains 10 doses of the vaccine that must be used within six hours of being opened or it has to be thrown away.

Now that the state is expanding the eligibility requirements, Caldwell said he has been contacted by officials with the Forrest City School District and East Arkansas Community College about the possibility of setting up a shot clinic for employees.

“Just between those two, it’s probably about 450 people if everyone wanted the shot. It won’t be that many because not everyone wants to take it, but the potential is still there,” said Caldwell.

Officials in the FCSD this morning said the district is in the process of determining which employees want to receive the vaccine when it becomes available.

“We are working with a local pharmacy to determine the process of distributing the vaccine so we can attempt to

ensure a smooth process for the district and the provider,” said FCSD Public Relations Director Kendall Owens.

EACC Director of Public Relations Lindsay Midkiff said the college is offering employees the opportunity to sign up if they want to receive the vaccine. “We are doing everything we can to schedule vaccinations on campus,” she said.

The state at this time is not requiring education employees to be vaccinated. “We certainly encourage everyone to take the vaccine, as we do with the flu vaccine, and we are trying to make it as easy for them as we possibly can,” said Midkiff.

Caldwell said the demand he is seeing for the vaccine is not unexpected. “I really think people are as anxious to get back to normal as I am.”