LONOKE, Ark. — Since the governor extended vaccine eligibility to everyone over the age of 65, more Arkansans can now get that protection they've been waiting for.
But some are still having a tough time getting an appointment, especially in rural communities.
At Lackie Drug Store in Lonoke, their waitlist grew by 25% within the first hour of the governor's announcement.
A waitlist that the owner, Brandon Achor, said has remained full since December, but there are things people need to understand about it.
"It's a little confusing because full for a waitlist is usually based on how many vaccines we receive each week," he said.
In the early stages of distribution, Achor said that was unpredictable, but now that pharmacists like him know the amount of doses they are receiving each week, it's become more consistent.
"I would say, the waitlist is full, but as people get vaccinated elsewhere, people on our waitlist will move up," he said.
Priorities on the waitlist have been the same since the beginning.
If a person from the 1A group previously declined the vaccine, but wants it now, they will pass others on the list, according to Achor.
"The intent that we've been relayed from the governor's office is that the priority list is maintained throughout all scheduling opportunities," he said.
But priority list aside, many are wondering why their friend in another community is fully vaccinated while they're still waiting?
Achor wants to remind Arkansans it's not universal.
"Every county has a diverse population mix, so some can move through those 1A and 1B groups faster than others," he said.
It was a point reiterated by Arkansas Pharmacists Association CEO John Vinson, who said the department of health makes decisions weekly on the amount of vaccines allocated based on statistics and doses given out.
"They have historically made some corrections and added extra doses in area of concern based on feedback they've received," he said.
Vinson said if you're able to travel to another city, take advantage of weekend mass vaccination clinics and daily hospital clinics.
"I think it's fine to cancel your name off of a list or cancel an appointment if you find it somewhere else sooner," he said.
Pharmacists are asking for patience as they work the best they can with a limited supply.
"The real bottleneck here is not a failure of the state, it's not a failure of the pharmacies, it's just the reality of being in a pandemic," Vinson said.
If you are making an appointment at a local pharmacy, it's best to do it through their website and don't make multiple appointments.
UAMS has had pop-up clinics in cities like Hope, Waldron, and Mena, and they're working to schedule more.