Northwest Arkansas organizations vaccinate people 16 and up

Organizations in Northwest Arkansas are continuing to ramp up covid-19 vaccinations and are offering the vaccines to anyone 16 and older.

Arkansas Children's Northwest in Springdale has begun offering covid-19 vaccines to anyone 16-21, according to Nicole Huddleston, spokeswoman for the hospital. Patients or parents may make appointments by calling (479) 725-6995. The hospital also plans to host vaccine clinics April 10 and May 1 and will provide details at a later, according to Huddleston.

Community Clinic, which has several clinics throughout the region, was selected to receive vaccines as part of a federal program designed to reach vulnerable populations. The clinic is allowing anyone in the community to make vaccine appointments at its Springdale and Rogers clinics, but is trying to first reach its patients, said Judd Semingson, chief executive officer.

The organization has about 500 doses available per week at its Springdale clinic and 300 to 500 per week at its Rogers clinic. The clinic has been receiving the Pfizer vaccine in Rogers and the Moderna vaccine in Springdale, Semingson said.

The Pfizer vaccine is approved for people 16 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved for people 18 and older.

The Northwest Arkansas Council gave 2,500 first doses at an all-day clinic Thursday in Fayetteville, said Nate Green, council spokesman. The nonprofit organization closed registration at 5:30 a.m. that morning when only 1,300 people had signed up.

Enough people heard through word-of-mouth more doses were available and came to get vaccinated, leaving no vaccines wasted, Green said. The council will give second doses to everyone who received first doses at its clinics.

The council has two first dose clinics planned within the next week. They will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Northwest Arkansas Mall and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at J.B. Hunt Transport Services headquarters in Lowell, according to its website. People may sign up online at nwacouncil.org/nwavaccines.

Benton and Washington counties had 59,012 residents fully vaccinated against covid-19 as of Thursday, while another 50,631 had received the first of two doses, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

The two counties have a combined population of 384,234 residents 16 and older, so about 15% of that group have been fully vaccinated while about 13% are halfway there.

Northwest Health System, which has five hospitals in the region, had given 35,500 vaccine doses as of Friday, according to Aimee Morrell, spokeswoman. Washington Regional Medical System had given 25,841 doses by the end of the day Thursday, according to Natalie Hardin, spokeswoman.

Washington Regional and Mercy Health System are allowing anyone 16 and older to make vaccine appointments. Mercy is requiring people younger than 18 to have a parent or guardian present to receive a vaccine, according to Jennifer Cook, spokeswoman. The state isn't requiring 16- and 17-year-olds to have parental consent to receive covid-19 vaccines, according to Danyelle McNeill, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Health.

Washington County had 109 new virus cases from March 27 through Friday, according to McNeill. Benton County had 141 new cases.

Washington County had 30,325 cumulative cases Friday, according to the Health Department. The county had 170 active cases Friday, including 103 confirmed and 67 probable cases.

Benton County had 28,188 cumulative cases Friday. The county had 186 active cases Friday including 119 confirmed and 67 probable cases.

Rogers Public Schools and Springdale Public Schools each had 11 active cases as of Thursday, according to the Health Department. Bentonville had 14 active cases. Fayetteville Public Schools was not on the department's report, which means it has fewer than five cases.

Both antigen tests and polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests are used to test for covid-19. Antigen tests produce faster results, are generally used only on people with symptoms of the virus and have a higher chance of giving false-negative results. Antigen and most PCR tests are done via nasal swabs.

A total of 218,998 PCR tests and 28,890 antigen tests have been done on Benton County residents, while 227,918 PCR tests and 43,731 antigen tests have been done on Washington County residents, according to the Health Department.

Matt Calhoun, a fourth year pharmacy student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest College of Pharmacy, prepares a covid-19 vaccination shot Thursday, April 1, 2021, during an open covid-19 vaccination clinic hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Council in collaboration with the region's health care systems at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Check out nwaonline.com/210403Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)

Beck McCall, a junior at the University of Arkansas, receives a covid-19 vaccination shot from Michael Ford, a S1 student in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas, Thursday, April 1, 2021, during an open covid-19 vaccination clinic hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Council in collaboration with the region's health care systems at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on campus in Fayetteville. Check out nwaonline.com/210403Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)