An uptick in Arkansas' covid-19 infections that began in late summer appears to have peaked, although new cases and hospitalizations remain high compared to their levels earlier this year.
Meanwhile, pharmacies around the state last week began administering their first doses of new vaccines more closely matched to the covid strains now in circulation.
The distribution of covid vaccines has changed dramatically since the federal government is no longer paying for them. Pharmacies and other providers now have to buy the vaccines from wholesalers or directly from the manufacturer, John Vinson, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, said.
That has left independent pharmacies struggling to predict the demand for the new shots, he said.
"The biggest challenge for our smaller pharmacies [is] having to purchase them, especially [for] the ones that are five doses per vial. From a cash flow perspective, you might have demand for 300 people, but you may only have the funds to order small amounts at a time because they're so expensive," Vinson said.
According to data on the state Department of Health's website, Arkansas recorded 9,476 new cases in August -- the largest monthly total since January and larger than the totals for May, June and July combined.
In recent weeks, however, new cases have been trending downward.
Over a rolling, seven-day period, the average number of new cases per day fell from a recent peak of 752 in early September to 474 during the week ending Tuesday.
In all of September, the state had recorded 8,069 new cases as of Tuesday.
The new case numbers represent a fraction of the total infections in the state since many people use home test kits without reporting the results to the Health Department or are never tested.
Still, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show hospitalizations also beginning to level off.
During the week ending Sept. 23, 231 people were admitted to hospitals in the state with covid-19, down from the 249 that was initially reported a week earlier and a recent peak of 279 the week ending Sept. 9, according to CDC data.
Health Department spokesperson Danyelle McNeill said the downturn is likely to be temporary.
"It is likely we will see an increase in covid-19 transmission, as well as other respiratory illnesses like the flu, as we enter the winter months," McNeill said in an email. "This is similar to what we have seen in previous years."
As for precautions Arkansans should take, she said, "The same things that have been effective these past three years remain effective today."
"We encourage all Arkansans to talk to their health care provider if they have questions about getting a covid-19 vaccine that has been updated for 2023-2024, so they can make the best decision for themselves and their families," McNeill said.
In its latest weekly update on Tuesday, the Health Department reported that Arkansas did not have any covid-19 related deaths over the past seven days.
So far this year, the deaths of 427 Arkansans from covid-19 have been reported, according to the department.
VACCINE ROLLOUT
The CDC earlier this month recommended the new vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for everyone 6 months and older.
People 5 and older who have not had a covid-19 shot in the past two months should get one dose of an updated covid vaccine, according to the CDC.
Children age 6 months to 4 years old should get two or three doses, depending on which vaccine they receive, the agency says.
Michael Butler, owner of Butler Pharmacies, which has locations in Hot Springs Village, Gurdon, Clinton, Texarkana and Fort Smith, started administering the new covid vaccines last week and is anticipating purchasing more.
"We've given probably a third of them already. So, we're giving a large number per day. But yeah, we readily have them available at all of our stores. We're going to place orders for more as we deplete the inventory we've got, but right now, there's good availability," he said.
Having to buy the vaccines means pharmacies will not be able to administer them at the rate they did previously, Butler said.
"We did hundreds of thousands of doses of covid [vaccines] when the government was supplying the [vaccines], but I don't physically think we can do that many now just because of the limitations of cash flow and what you can afford to buy," he said.
Lelan Stice, owner of Doctor's Orders pharmacies in Pine Bluff, White Hall and Star City, said his stores just recently received their vaccine orders for the new vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna.
"The supply chain always has kind of an accordion type effect when the first vaccines come to the market," he said.
"I'm expecting we'll get some in, and then we'll have a week or so that we won't be able to get it, and then it'll be available again. I just anticipate that that will happen."
Ly is a Report for America Corps member.