Arkansas Governor Challenges Groups To Help Fight Vaccine Hesitancy ualrpublicradio.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ualrpublicradio.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
31:35
Hear KUAR s live broadcast of Tuesday s press conference on the pandemic by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
With a “worrisome point” worth watching being a recent rise in hospitalizations, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday (April 20) said state officials’ focus is to increase COVID-19 vaccine demand to avoid the “jeopardy” of cases rising again later this year.
COVID-related hospitalizations totaled 177 in Tuesday’s report, up 13 from the previous 24 hours, and up from the 148 on the previous Tuesday. The governor called the number of hospitalizations a “worrisome point” that he and other state officials are monitoring.
“It’s just a reminder that we do have the virus in our community,” Gov. Hutchinson said of the recent rise in hospitalizations, adding later he is “very anxious to get the J&J vaccine back in use” to make it more convenient to boost vaccine rates in rural parts of the state and other tough to reach demographics.
30:40
Hear KUAR s live broadcast of Tuesday s press conference on the pandemic by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged Arkansans on Tuesday to still get the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines despite Johnson and Johnson distribution pause.
Credit Governor s Office / YouTube
A pause in the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is no reason to not get a vaccine, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday (April 13), adding that the state is in a race to avoid another surge in COVID cases like that ongoing in Michigan.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration on Tuesday called for a halt to using the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine because six people reported a serious blood clot issue a few weeks after receiving the vaccine. More than 6.85 million of the J&J vaccines have been administered. None of the six cases were in Arkansas.
30:40
Hear KUAR s live broadcast of Tuesday s press conference on the pandemic by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged Arkansans on Tuesday to still get the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines despite Johnson and Johnson distribution pause
Credit Governor s Office / YouTube
Arkansas is among states pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports of people developing unusual blood clots. This comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced they were investigating six cases of women who developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. One death was reported among the women.
At his weekly press briefing Tuesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said while he respects the White House’s recommendation to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine distribution, this doesn’t mean Arkansans should delay getting the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
Credit Governor s Office / YouTube
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a pair of identical bills Monday that will raise the state’s median teacher salaries by $2,000 and create a fund to help lower-paying districts reach that amount.
Senate Bill 504 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and House Bill 1614 by Rep. Bruce Cozart, the chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees respectively, will raise the target median teacher salary to $51,822 for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. The House and Senate Committees afterwards would jointly set the statewide target median salary.
It also provides $25 million to create a Teacher Salary Equalization Fund that will provide $185 per student in districts that are below the median salary. According to the legislation, the gap between the highest average salary, $60,963, and the lowest of $39,578 was $21,385.