Natural State News

Governor Asa Hutchinson has embarked on a series of "Community COVID Conversations" to find out first-hand what Arkansans have to say about coronavirus and the vaccinations.

Hutchinson began the statewide tour Thursday, July 8, with a stop at the Veterans Park Community Center in Cabot. He plans to visit Batesville, Blytheville, Forrest City, Hot Springs, Rogers, Fayetteville and Texarkana next week, according to a press release.

The state hasn't reached the 50% vaccination goal that Hutchinson set earlier in the year. As of July 6, only 39% of Arkansans had gotten the shot, and Hutchinson said in a recent media update that wants to encourage better.

The governor didn't cast blame but did indicate the buck stops with him.

"It starts with a conversation with communities," Hutchinson said in separate release issued Tuesday, July 6. "It does come down to individual responsibility. I’m the leader of this state. I want to do all I can. It would be easier for me to sit back and say, ‘I’m weary of this COVID conversation.’ I’m sure everybody in this room is. But that’s not leadership. Leadership is saying, 'Let's plow on.... let’s get through this. Let’s see if we can do a little bit better.'"

Hutchinson was publicly vaccinated in January.

Hutchinson's efforts to improve Arkansas' dismal COVID-19 vaccination rates are nothing new. In mid-April, with coronavirus cases then falling in the state, the governor said in a Twitter post that he was "hoping for a big week for vaccinations."

During his May 4 coronavirus update, Hutchinson said he wanted at least half the state's population to have at least the first dose of the vaccination within the next 90 days.

"Obviously, we want to get it higher than that. And if you look at the adult population, it will be, and we want to get them fully vaccinated. But it starts with this simple, foundational goal," Hutchinson said during the May briefing. "It's going to take a lot of work from all Arkansans in the communities to get 467,000 more Arkansans vaccinated."

That hasn't happened and coronavirus is no longer on the decline in Arkansas. In the July 6 release, Hutchinson cited an Arkansas Department of Health report of 270 new cases and six additional deaths. Hospitalization also increased, by 55 people, "the largest increase since January."

The state is "losing ground" this month largely because of surges in the delta variant. The delta variant, first detected in India, is easier to catch and its symptoms are far more severe but available vaccines are effective against all of the variants, Hutchinson said in his press release.

Hutchinson hasn't given up on the 50%-vaccination-rate goal for the state by the end of this month. He pointed out in his news release that Bradley County has already reached a 50% full vaccination rate and that a million Arkansans are now fully vaccinated, "but that's not enough to stop the spread."

He also encouraged employers to provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated and time off to recover from any vaccine side effects.

"I am asking employers in our state to take a leadership role in encouraging vaccinations in the workplace," Hutchinson said. "Let me emphasize, employers were the first ones to push us. 'We need the vaccine.' They've done an incredible job of leading and getting their workplace vaccinated early on during the pandemic. We need them to come back and to reemphasize the need for vaccinations in the workplace."