Just a few weeks into Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout, Alex Azar, former Secretary of Health and Human Services, said that the federal government does NOT have a reserve stockpile of doses. This means that a number of states, including Arkansas, will not receive the thousands of vaccines as previously promised.

• John Vinson, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, said he and others were under the impression that there would be upwards of a 55 percent increase in vaccine supply.
• This could possibly drag on Phase 1B over the course of a couple months, said Julie Stewart, a local pharmacist in NWA.
• However, healthcare professionals are confident that Arkansas is doing an incredible job of evenly distributing the vaccines, and are hopeful that the new Biden Administration will work with manufacturers to meet the growing demand. -KNWA/Fox 24