At Tuesday's weekly coronavirus response briefing, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that nearly 13 percent of Arkansans have received at least a first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. So far, more than 651,000 doses have been delivered to the state and more than 65 percent of those doses have been injected into Arkansans' arms. Hutchinson say additional doses will soon be delivered to community clinics to improve access to the vaccine in rural parts of the state. For now, the state will not be moving beyond the first level of people in the 1B category that includes people 70 and older and educators and staff in K-12 grades and in higher education. At the moment, the Natural State ranks 11th in the country in per capita vaccinations, but Hutchinson said that success rate doesn't influence the amount of vaccines given to a state. Decisions about dose distribution continue to be based on population. Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero was also present at the briefing. He said the drop in positivity rate to below 10 percent gives him reason to be cautiously optimistic, but the state will continue to hammer home best practices for further slowing the spread. The ADH is also continuing to monitor for any emergence of COVID-19 variants in Arkansas and will be watching for any spread linked to Super Bowl parties. Hutchinson said he is not ready to declare that the crisis is over. To watch the full briefing, click here.
Nearly 13 Percent of Arkansans in Process of Getting Vaccine, Governor Says
