Author: rkbrock

There has been lots of progress made in schools from the height of the pandemic in December, and lots more to come with vaccinations and warmer weather.

As shown by data from the ADH, the Rector and Marked Tree districts are currently leading Arkansas’ school districts for the highest percent of people who have gotten COVID in the state, at 16.25% and 15.27% respectively. In addition to this, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has the highest number of active cases out of all of Arkansas’ colleges and college campuses. However, Fayetteville Public Schools has one of the lowest percentages of people who have gotten COVID in the state, at only 0.84%.

Alan Wilbourn, the Public Information Officer at Fayetteville Public Schools, spoke on the measures the schools have taken and how effective they have been. The first measures the schools implemented had actually been in place before COVID, as best practices for flu season. One example of this is how they already had backpack disinfectant units ready. The schools had also already been transitioning to a system where each student has their own laptop they are able to bring home with them. This meant that virtual learning was much easier to put in place. While not everyone has suitable internet, it was still a significantly smoother switch because of that.

They have had a mask mandate in place all of this school year, requiring students and staff to wear masks at all times except when eating lunch. According to Wilbourn, even the elementary schools have done a good job of wearing masks. He says that making a routine out of it helped: “This would be where you wear your mask, you wash your hands, and go get some hand sanitizer. And [the elementary school students]  really bought into that”.

In the future, Wilbourn says there may be masks in the fall, and that the schools will evaluate performance over the rest of the year to make that call. He also says that “I think…  something we can count on for the next few years is that in addition to getting your flu shot every year, you’ll get your COVID shot every year”.

Springdale is another school district that has been doing well. Their Director of Communications, Trent Jones, spoke on this. Similarly to Fayetteville schools, they require that in most situations masks be worn when indoors. However, they say on their website that “staff and presenters may remove face coverings while teaching if 12 feet distancing is maintained”.

Springdale has been doing tests on-location at their schools and has also run three vaccination clinics for staff (they happened before minors were eligible to receive the vaccine). According to Jones, while they don’t have plans for conducting more vaccine drives, what they’re doing is “providing information for… our 16 year olds and older and any faculty or staff that might not have been vaccinated yet”.

By Ravi Brock
Arkansascovid.com

A Little Rock church is holding a mass vaccination clinic next week and is urging members of the Hispanic community to attend.

The Longley Baptist Church in southwest Little Rock is planning a mass vaccination event on April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event hopes to attract 500 people.

COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed closely, said Brenda Stallings, one of the main organizers. “Everybody will be double-masked. Everybody working will be double-masked. Everybody who comes into the church will be double-masked,” she said. All staff will also change gloves and disinfect their station after administering each dose.

The church is trying to reach the Spanish-speaking public through a combination of social media, radio announcements and old-fashioned word of mouth.  The Robert Tellez Law Firm and another church primarily for Hispanic people will be working on the outreach. Translators will be at the clinic.

By Ravi Brock
Arkansascovid.com

Little Rock will hold a COVID-19 mass vaccination event on Saturday at the Simmons Arena, the first of four events in the coming weeks.

UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, in a press release, said the events show they are “working together with the state’s cities, counties, insurers and nonprofit organizations, we try to ensure that none of Arkansas’ 3 million residents will fall through the cracks. All of us want to maximize access to vaccines in as many ways as we can.”

For State Senator Linda Chesterfield, the vaccination effort has deep significance. “I’ve had a family member who died from COVID-19, so it is very personal for me,” Chesterfield said in a statement. “It is important that every Arkansan get vaccinated, and we can do that with vaccination efforts like this one.”

The clinics are expected to vaccinate up to 2,000 people and will be held April 10, May 1, May 22, and June 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde said in a statement that fewer than 30% of Pulaski County’s population has received at least one dose, and about 12% are fully vaccinated. Hyde urged anyone eligible for a vaccine, currently people age 16 and older, “to receive a vaccine at the first opportunity.”

Face masks are required for the event. There are no out-of-pocket cost for the vaccine. Clinic attendees are encouraged to bring insurance cards and valid IDs.

In Little Rock, four mass COVID-19 vaccination events are planned for April 10, May 1, May 22, and June 12. They will be large-scale clinics held at the Simmons Bank Arena between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Each clinic is prepared to vaccinate 1000 to 2000 people, and UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson says they are “working together with the state’s cities, counties, insurers and nonprofit organizations, we try to ensure that none of Arkansas’ 3 million residents will fall through the cracks. All of us want to maximize access to vaccines in as many ways as we can”.

According to Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, “fewer than 30 percent of [Pulaski County’s] population has received at least one dose, and approximately 12 percent are fully vaccinated. All eligible vaccine recipients are strongly encouraged to receive a vaccine at the first opportunity.” Anyone 16 or older is currently eligible to receive a vaccine, but those under 18 hoping to receive a shot need to come with a parent or guardian. Face masks are required and, while there is no out-of-pocket cost to receive the vaccine, clinic attendees are encouraged to bring insurance cards and valid IDs.

State Senator Linda Chesterfield encourages everyone eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible: “I’ve had a family member who died from COVID-19, so it is very personal for me. It is important that every Arkansan get vaccinated, and we can do that with vaccination efforts like this one.” The necessity of receiving the vaccine as soon as possible is a common theme among speakers, with state Rep. Jamie Scott saying that “with more efforts like this one across the state, we can defeat the virus and earn a victory for public health.” Simmons Bank Arena has a seating capacity of 18,000, and its general manager Michael Marion says “we have hosted many types of activities, performances and celebrities, but few, if any, have had the importance of these vaccination clinics.”

The 7 day rolling average of new cases is now at its lowest point since early June 2020. Since the peak of new cases in January shortly after Christmas, there has been a decline of new cases, which has gotten faster and faster as the weather turns warmer and more people get vaccinated. Lately, according to the ADH, people 16 and older will be eligible, which will hopefully decrease new cases even more.