Demand for vaccines outstripping supplies

Carroll County has one of the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates in the state, and at the current allotment of 400 shots per week from the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), one local pharmacist expressed concern that it would take two years to vaccinate all those eligible in the county.

ADH spokesperson Danyelle McNeill wrote in an email Jan. 26 that the state is going to give additional vaccine from each week’s allocation to counties with low vaccination rates overall, as well as those with high populations of age 70 and older.

“We will continue to do this as needed, but it is important to note that we are still working with an overall low supply of vaccine,” McNeill said. “The increases may not be significant, but they will be as much as we can provide to address these issues. We are hopeful that our weekly allocations will increase or that an additional vaccine will be approved, which will speed up the process. We work to distribute vaccine as equitably as possible based on the population and demographics of a particular area.

“We have made sure that vaccine is distributed across Arkansas – every county in the state has received vaccine and will continue to receive it in future allocations. We do ask that Arkansans be patient because we know there is not enough vaccine right now for everyone who wishes to be vaccinated.”

McNeill wrote that Carroll County received 400 doses of Moderna the last week of January. The shots went to Economy Drug in Berryville, Poynor Drug in Berryville, Harp’s in Green Forest and the Holiday Island Pharmacy. Smith Drug in Eureka Springs hasn’t received any doses for two weeks. Berryville’s population is 5,519 compared to 2,091 in Eureka Springs.

McNeill said Carroll County would receive second shots required in addition to the 400 shots per week being received.

“It looks like the 400 doses Carroll County is receiving this week are prime doses, so the second ones would automatically come in a boost order in a couple weeks,” McNeill said.

At a board of health meeting Jan. 28, Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. José R. Romero said that the federal government has not provided anywhere near the amount of vaccine to the state that was promised. Romero expressed frustration over the slow rollout of vaccinations due to such limited supplies.

“If additional vaccines are authorized, that also would increase the supply coming into the state,” McNeill said. “The amount received by the state varies from week to week, but lately it has been approximately 37,000 first doses each week.”

Dr. Dan Bell, co-director of ECHO Clinic, said they hope to receive 100 doses this week and resume vaccinations being done in cooperation with Smith Drug. There are more than 1,000 on the waiting list at Smith Drug for people in the 1B group who are eligible, which includes people over 70 and school personnel.

“The vaccine supplies have to be loosened up,” Bell said. “At 100 shots per week, it would take us ten weeks just to get through the first part of the 1B group. It is an issue all over the world. Countries are fighting for it. It is an issue getting it to the right people at right time and sharing it in an equitable, just way. The rich countries are getting the vaccines and the poor are not. Many people of color are not getting vaccinated either because they are choosing not to or it is not coming to them.”

However, Bell said it is encouraging that the state is experiencing a downturn in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

“We are clearly coming off the spike,” Bell said. “It looks like ten percent of our population in Arkansas has already had Covid and so has immunity. And we have vaccinated 10,000 people per 100,000, which is another ten percent. That means 20 percent of our population has immunity already. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is concern now that the new mutant strains are going to come in and cause a second spike. I think if we get the infection rate down enough, we won’t even see those. I encourage everyone to keep doing what they are doing to stop the spread.”