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As new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have soared in the last few weeks, so too have vaccinations in Arkansas.
Officials believe the delta variant, and the coinciding surge in cases, pushed some vaccine-hesitant Arkansans to get the shot, but the state still lags in vaccinations compared to the nation.
How many vaccines have been administered recently?
As of Tuesday, the number of vaccine doses administered this month was 191,862, including second doses.
That’s an average of 11,286 doses administered per day.
Over the same period in July, from the first to the 17th, only 87,616 were administered or an average of 5,153 per day.
That means the number of doses per day has more than doubled in August compared to the same period in July.
What does that mean for the number of people vaccinated?
In the first two weeks of August, just over 100,000 Arkansans got their first vaccine dose.
If Arkansas continues at the same pace for the rest of the month, the state will outpace its first-time vaccinations for the month of July, when 150,000 received a first dose, and far outpace June and May when 68,000 and 122,000 received first doses, respectively.
How does Arkansas compare to the rest of the country?
Arkansas’ overall vaccination rate is still lower than most other states.
According to the CDC, 51% of Arkansans had received at least one dose as of Tuesday, and 38.8% had been fully vaccinated.
Nationally, 59.9% of people had received at least one dose, and 50.9% were fully vaccinated.
Among the states and District of Columbia, Arkansas ranked 38th in the percentage of its residents who had received at least one dose, up from 40th late last week.
It continued to rank 46th in the percentage of its residents who were fully vaccinated. The state is ahead of Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, Idaho and Louisiana.
What about vaccinations among children?
The CDC reported that as of Friday, 86,841 Arkansas children 12-17 had been received at least one dose or about 36% of children in that demographic.
Of those children, 48,838 were fully vaccinated or about 20% of those aged 12-17.
Go here to read about the most recent case numbers from reporters Andy Davis and Jeannie Roberts, and go here to hear from pharmacists about the demand they’ve seen for the vaccine from reporter Tess Vrbin.
You can also check out our vaccine tracker for updates daily and a map of locations to get a shot.