Jun 27, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Arkansas governor working to reverse vaccination trends

Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Photo: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that hospitalizations are up among the unvaccinated and that vaccinations have slowed in his state during an appearance Sunday on CBS' "Face of the Nation."

Why it matters: States nationwide are seeing a worrying trend of increased hospitalization and slowing vaccinations. Arkansas, in particular, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, per Politico.

  • "One of the challenges was the fact that this is under FDA emergency use authorization," Hutchinson said. "And so we need to get that research completed so it can be final approval. I think that will help."
  • About the vaccination rate slowing down, the Republican said: "People saw the cases of hospitalizations go down. And so, the urgency of getting the vaccine slowed down."
  • But, he added: "If incentives don't work, reality will. And as you see the hospitalizations go up, the cases go up, I think you'll see the vaccination rate increase as well," he added.
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