Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday celebrated the state passing the 1 million mark for the number of Arkansans who had received at least one vaccine dose, and he urged others to get the shots.
He said a "report card" from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Arkansas is performing well in the ordering, administration and equitable distribution of vaccines.
"Where we’re weak is that we’re starting to build up the inventory, and that is because we’ve ordered well, we have the supply here, but the demand is slackening off," Hutchinson said.
"We’re working with our pharmacy partners, our medical providers, to really reach out, but we need everyone to participate in increasing that demand and getting the shot."
At a news conference at the Arkansas Department of Health’s headquarters in Little Rock, Sheryl Moore, a student at Shorter College in North Little Rock, became the ceremonial "millionth" person in the state to receive a vaccine dose.
Data from the CDC showed that Arkansas had passed the million mark by Sunday, with the number rising to 1,033,132 on Thursday.
"I'm excited," Moore, 38, said after receiving her first dose of Pfizer vaccine. "I'm glad I did it."
For the third day in a row, Health Department figures showed that the daily increase in the number of doses administered was smaller than the one a week earlier.
The average number of doses administered over a rolling seven-day period fell to about 17,320 — dropping below 18,000 for the first time since the week ending March 24.
However, the state's count of coronavirus cases rose by 161, less than half the size of a spike a day earlier.
The number of people hospitalized in the state with covid-19 fell Thursday for the second consecutive day, dropping from 175 as of Wednesday to 171 on Thursday. Active cases also fell by 20, and stood Thursday at 1,923.
The number of those patients who were on ventilators fell by two, to 22. The number who were in intensive care as of 2 p.m., however, rose by one, to 67.
The state's death toll from the virus since March 2020, as tracked by the Health Department, rose by three, to 5,711.
1:08 p.m.
Arkansas on Thursday marked 1 million coronavirus vaccine shots administered in the state so far, though the governor acknowledged more needs to be done to increase demand.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson was on hand as health officials administered the shot to a student from Shorter College, which the governor said represents an age group the state is encouraging to get vaccinated.
“I want vaccines in arms so we can turn the chapter in Arkansas history to move on from this pandemic," Hutchinson told reporters.
Arkansas has had more than 334,000 virus cases and 5,708 covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began last year. The state on Wednesday recorded its biggest daily increase in virus cases in more than a month.
– The Associated Press
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Gov. Asa Hutchinson will mark the "millionth" Arkansan to be vaccinated at 11 a.m.
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This story has been updated. It was originally published at 10:58 a.m.