Despite a $1 million incentive program to get more Arkansas residents vaccinated against COVID-19, numbers of new vaccinations are leveling off below the daily average when the program was announced.
The current seven-day average of people getting a dose of one of the three approved vaccines has leveled off at 4,833, compared to an average of 8,300 when the incentives were announced May 26, ABC News reported Tuesday.
"I don't know if we're going to be able to buy our way out of this," Col. Robert Ator, the program director of the Arkansas vaccine incentive program told KATV, the ABC affiliate.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 2,225,518 residents in the state have received a dose of the vaccine, compared to a 2019 US Census estimate of a total state population of 3.018 million people.
The CDC number does not estimate how many people in the state are fully vaccinated with both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
It also does not account for people who may live outside of the state, but got a dose in Arkansas, the CDC said.
According to USAfacts.org, as of Monday, 41% of the population has received at least one dose, while 34% of the population are fully vaccinated.
Since May 26, people getting at least one dose of the vaccine are eligible for a $20 scratch off lottery ticket or two $10.50 gift certificates with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission which can be redeemed for a hunting or fishing license, according to the state.
Vaccinations are available in the state for anyone age 12 or over, and are distributed at community pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and health care providers, according to the state.
Just 2,482 lottery tickets and 926 game licenses have been redeemed through the program so far, a state Department of Health spokesman said in the report.
One medical expert said in the report that the transportation to the sites offering the vaccine could be at least 15 minutes away, and that transportation issues could be holding many back from getting the shots.
"The question that comes up is: Can they get the vaccine and get time off from work?" Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital said.
Another issue may be taking the trip to redeem the incentive tickets or certificates once the people get them.
“Don't forget, we're talking about people who, many times, have transportation barriers to begin with just to get the vaccine,” Scott Pace, an Arkansas-based pharmacist and owner of Kavanaugh Pharmacy in Little Rock told ABC News. “So, when you add on transportation barriers to jump through, a couple of other hoops to get whatever incentive, it makes the incentive that much less meaningful.”
Nationally, 46.4% of the population are fully vaccinated and 54.2% have taken at least one dose, the CDC reported.
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