El Dorado Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer received the single dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the Medical Center of South Arkansas on Wednesday morning.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is effective after only one dose, while Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines both require two.
Nervous and excited, Smith-Creer shared some of her thoughts on the importance of people educating themselves on the available vaccinations.
“Do your research and know what to expect,” she said. “You getting the vaccine is not just for you but the people around you as well. I know a lot of us feel like we are invincible but a lot of us are still taking care of family members and parents. So even if you don’t want to do it for yourself, let’s think about the other people that you’re going to come in contact with.”
She also encouraged everyone to do research on where to get the shot, as there are several local health facilities offering the vaccine to those that are eligible and compiling waitlists to work from.
The mayor’s eligibility for the vaccine comes after Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Monday the state is now expanding vaccine eligibility to include essential government workers, Department of Corrections employees, grocery store and meal delivery service employees, houses of worship, manufacturing, postal/package delivery services, those with intellectual/developmental disabilities and public transportation workers.
The mayor also spoke about the importance of reaching out to minority communities and more specifically, the Black community.
“Nationally, it has been documented that we (African-Americans) are less likely to get the vaccine,” Smith-Creer said.
“I know here in El Dorado, and I think I can speak for some of Union County as well, that there are a lot of minorities anticipating getting the vaccine. But we do want to make sure that whatever apprehensions some may have about getting it, do your research, make sure you’re doing what’s best for you and let’s make sure we’re not looking back in history and instead of looking forward to the future. Make sure we’re getting the most accurate information to make the most educated decision,” she added.
As of March 1, 2021, United States Centers for Disease Control data showed that race or ethnicity was known for just over half (54%) of people who had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Among this group, nearly two-thirds were white (65%), 9% were Hispanic, 7% were Black, 5% were Asian and 2% were American Indian or Alaska Native.
In Arkansas, the disparity is even larger; according to the Arkansas Department of Health, as of Wednesday, 771,876 vaccine doses had been administered in the state. Black Arkansans accounted for only 9.4% of those who have had a vaccine dose administered, while white Arkansans made up 75.8%. ADH data showed that 11.1% of doses have been administered to someone whose race the department didn’t know; 0.9% to Asian Arkansans; 0.2% to American Indian or Alaska native Arkansans; and 0.1% to Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Arkansans.
The Asian community has a low vaccination rate as well, but according to that same CDC data, the share of vaccinations among Asian people was similar to their share of the total population in most states, and where there were differences, they were generally small. The Black and Hispanic populations in some states make up the majority of COVID cases and deaths but the minority in vaccination numbers.
Eli Vinson, Director of Pharmacy at MCSA, administered the vaccine to the mayor and she jokingly asked afterwards, “how did it feel to shoot the mayor,” drawing laughter from Vinson and those in attendance.
The mayor then asked about the availability of different COVID vaccinations to which Eli Vinson replied, “Right now we have a mix of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The quicker we get rid of vaccines and get them in people’s arms, the quicker we are able to get more allocated to us. So we want to get as many people vaccinated as possible.”
Alexandria Bennett, executive director of Business Development of MCSA, also encouraged those interested in getting a vaccine or wanting more information to call the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 870-863-2620.
Bennett said the hospital also has an ongoing social media contest to encourage people to get vaccinated. After getting a COVID vaccine, the hospital wants people to take a picture of their arm and area where the shot was administered and post it to social media with the hashtag, #MCSASleevesUp.