Previous rules governing who among the 18-and-older population were eligible for recently approved booster shots against covid-19 were clarified with Gov. Asa Hutchinson's order to make them available to everyone in that age range.
Lelan Stice, owner of Doctor's Orders Pharmacy, said he imagines there will be an influx of patients requesting the third doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or the second Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Hutchinson announced during a news conference Monday anyone who took the second shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna brand at least six months ago or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago may receive a booster, regardless of health or work status.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations now allow people to mix and match brands for booster shots.
"It was so broad already in terms of the people who were qualified," Stice said.
"Everybody who works in the public was eligible, but it does open it up to a larger group where they don't have to ask the question, 'Do I work around enough people?'"
Previous eligibility rules in Arkansas, consistent with CDC recommendations, called for the booster shots to be available to people either 65 or older, or those 18 and older who lived in long-term care settings, had underlying medical conditions or worked in high-risk settings.
People 65 and older, ages 50-64 with underlying medical conditions, or 18 and older who live in long-term care settings "should" receive a booster, under CDC guidelines.
Doctor's Orders has been asked to conduct clinics with larger businesses, Stice said. His pharmacies at 2302 W. 28th Ave. in Pine Bluff, 7240 Sheridan Road in White Hall and 500 S. Lincoln Ave. in Star City offer booster shots from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, with the Pine Bluff location also open from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.
The CDC first recommended the two-shot series of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children ages 5-11 on Nov. 2, and both the Watson Chapel and White Hall school districts have offered the first round of those shots. These vaccinations are optional and are only administered with parental consent.
"We had a few send their consent forms and change their minds," Watson Chapel district nurse Rose Sullivent said. "All three [elementary] campuses, we have about 600-something kids, and we had less than 85 take the shot. Some of the parents have called and are going to take them theirselves."
Sullivent estimated about 75-80 children ages 5-11 were vaccinated.
White Hall district Superintendent Doug Dorris said at one time parents of up to 200 children in the age range expressed their desire to have their children inoculated, but he wasn't sure exactly how many went through with it.
Dorris said the chances of his district reaching a goal of having at least 50% of all White Hall district students vaccinated against covid-19 don't look good.
"I was hoping we'd have at least 50 percent, but that's the parent's choice," Dorris said. "They may choose to go to another doctor's office."
The White Hall School Board voted last week to end the districtwide mask mandate effective Dec. 6, given the availability of vaccines to younger students and lower numbers of positive covid-19 cases and quarantines.
The Watson Chapel district has not mandated masks, but Superintendent Andrew Curry said at the start of the school year wearing them would be the "expectation."
Masks are required on Pine Bluff School District campuses as well. Superintendent Barbara Warren could not be reached for comment.
The White Hall School District will offer a second covid-19 vaccination clinic for ages 5-11 Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The Watson Chapel district will offer its second clinic for the age group on Dec. 3.
Schools in both districts will send notices to parents concerning times and locations for each clinic. Both districts are receiving their doses through Jefferson Regional Medical Center.
Stice said Doctor's Orders has about 200 pediatric doses on hand for children ages 5-11, vaccines that were received last week.
"We had a few parents show up, not a ton," he said. "I didn't think it would be a huge demand. People are more protective of their kids, more sheltering, and the disease still hasn't had a huge impact on kids. We did see some with the delta variant, but that dropped off quickly with kids."