As part of the state’s fight against the covid-19 pandemic, about 45 Arkansas National Guard members are activated under orders from Gov. Asa Hutchinson as public health officials work on a plan to further distribute coronavirus vaccines.
While the state is in the first phase of its vaccination plan — administering the vaccine to health care workers, long-term-care residents and staff members, and some first responders — a larger number of residents will begin receiving inoculations beginning in February, expanding the need for state workers.
Additional manpower and logistical expertise for the effort could be coming from the Arkansas National Guard.
“And so if the governor needs us for logistics, we’re ready to do logistics,” said Bob Oldham, a spokesman for the Arkansas National Guard. “If, you know, if the governor needs us to actually put shots in people’s arms, hey, we’re ready to do that too.”
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Of the roughly 45 active guardsmen assisting with the pandemic, about 12 are working with state health officials on the planning for the vaccine rollout, Oldham said. The other guardsmen are working in a warehouse managing the distribution of personal protective equipment and assisting contacting tracing efforts.
Some states — including Maryland, Michigan and Ohio — also have activated Guard members in their states to assist with vaccine distribution. The Arkansas National Guard has not been called up for vaccine distribution yet, but could be later, according to a spokeswoman for Hutchinson.
“The Governor has asked the Arkansas National Guard to work with Emergency Management to help develop and oversee the logistics of vaccine distribution,” Katie Beck, a spokeswoman for Hutchinson, said in a statement. “Today, the Governor has also extended the Guard’s call-up to assist in pandemic call center operations.”
The next phases of vaccine distribution will require more workers, state Epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Dillaha said last week. More than 200 pharmacies have partnered with the Arkansas Department of Health, and the National Guard could assist with the vaccination efforts in the next phases.
“We are working with the National Guard on a vaccine distribution, but we won’t have details until the plan is finalized,” Danyelle McNeill, a Health Department spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Of the 194,000 doses of the covid-19 vaccine that the state has received, it has administered 59,000, mostly to health care workers and residents and staff members of long-term-care facilities, Hutchinson said in a news release Friday. Hutchinson said the state aims to have 180,000 people vaccinated by Jan. 30.
The next phase of the state’s vaccination plan will begin in February with people age 70 and older, teachers, school staffs, food and agricultural workers, manufacturing workers and others getting shots.
Arkansas has had guardsmen active throughout the pandemic assisting with the state’s response. At its peak, there were around 125 guardsmen activated in May and June, Oldham said.
During unrest after the May death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Hutchinson activated roughly 600 guardsmen for 10 days. Floyd, a Black man, died while he was being arrested by white police officers. Video of that arrest, showing one of the officers with his knee on Floyd’s neck pinning Floyd to the ground, resulted in protests around the world.
“It’s been an unprecedented year for us,” Oldham said. “I’m not aware that we’ve been busier than any other time — this year — with our response to the pandemic.”