Eureka Springs has been something of a Covid-19 vaccine desert with a miscommunication resulting in the Smith Drug not receiving the allotted 100 vaccines per week between mid-January and mid-February. Then two devastating winter storms back-to-back slowed vaccine deliveries.
Carroll County has had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state with only about ten percent of its population receiving at least one shot. But with 820 people on the waiting list of Smith Drug, who received shots delivered by volunteers with the ECHO Clinic the fourth week in February, that situation has turned around dramatically.
“Suddenly Eureka has an abundance of vaccines to get in arms,” Dr. Dan Bell of the ECHO Clinic said. “We have gotten plenty of vaccines into the community.”
ECHO was planning to give another 400 shots March 3 to people on Smith Drug’s waiting list, the Eureka Springs Hospital has received another 300 Pfizer shots, and the Eureka Springs Family Medical Clinic was scheduled to receive 500 Moderna shots to be dispensed soon.
“We are helping with the Poynor Drug in Berryville’s waiting list, as well as Smith’s waiting list, to make sure it doesn’t slow it down,” Bell said.
While people eligible for shots in other areas of the state and country have reported difficulties getting appointments and long waiting lines to get their shot, drive-through clinics at ECHO have been running smoothly. People on the Smith Drug waiting list were given appointment times and were usually in and out in under 30 minutes. People receiving shots were asked to remain for 15 minutes after the shots to make sure they had no adverse reactions.
Bell said there have been no adverse reactions with the vaccines delivered so far.
Many people reported feeling relief at not only being on the road to being protected themselves, but being able to help end the pandemic and visit family members they had not been able to see for a long time.
Both vaccines require two shots, with the second Pfizer shot after three weeks, and the second Moderna shot after four weeks. About 300 of the 820 shots delivered the fourth week in February were second shots. The larger supply coming into the community means there should be plenty for both first and second shots.
Last week Gov. Asa Hutchinson opened up eligibility to people 65-69 years old. There is hope that the increasing vaccine availability will soon lead to opening up vaccinations for more essential workers and people with pre-existing medical conditions that put them at higher risk for complications.
Bell said people in the community are very excited to receive the vaccines.
“There is not a lot of hesitancy in our 65 and older residents,” Bell said. “They know to take this seriously. The vaccine hesitancy is not in this group. It is the younger people who are less likely to get vaccinated.”
About 80 percent of the deaths from Covid-19 are in the age group 65 and above.
People have to be on the waiting list of Smith Drug or Poynor Drug to receive shots at the ECHO clinic. ECHO volunteers will call people to schedule their vaccinations, emphasizing to not show up for a vaccine unless you are on the waiting list and eligible under current guidelines.
“Even if you have both shots, it is clear that if you are exposed to someone with Covid, you can carry that virus to someone else without getting sick yourself,” Bell said. “But fully vaccinated individuals can begin socializing cautiously with other people who are fully vaccinated.”