Arkansas is ready to vaccinate kids

Arkansas is well prepared to start vaccinating kids ages 5–11 as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the OK, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said yesterday during a news conference. And last night, the CDC gave the green light.

Flashback: The Federal Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer vaccine for the age group last week.

Where to get the shots: The Arkansas Department of Health's local county health units have them. In NWA, those clinics are in Fayetteville, Rogers and Siloam Springs.

• See hours and contact info here to make an appointment.

Generally, clinics that give typical vaccines to children — like flu shots and smallpox vaccines — will also give COVID-19 vaccines, Hutchinson said. You should contact your child’s doctor to check.

• After the initial rollout, pharmacies and more clinics will start giving vaccines to children.

Threat level: The Delta variant caused an increase in cases and hospitalizations among kids. Getting children vaccinated ahead of the holidays will help protect them and family members they gather with, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

What they're saying:

The vaccine for this age group, 5–11, has been shown to be safe and efficacious … They were a big part of the brunt of the number of cases that we saw in this summer surge due to Delta. We need to protect them. This is a way to do so."

By the numbers: The state has roughly 271,000 kids ages 5–11, Romero said.