LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) â Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that he would hold âcommunity COVID conversationsâ across the state in hopes of persuading more Arkansas residents to get vaccinated as the coronavirus continues a comeback in the state.
At a briefing, Hutchinson said he wants to hear and answer concerns feeding the reluctance of many to be vaccinated.
The goal, he said, was to engage communities at a local level and ask what can be done to overcome remaining public vaccination hesitancy. His first event is scheduled for Thursday in Cabot.
The state has recorded 270 new cases of COVID-19 since Monday, which Hutchinson said may be an undercount because of the three-day July 4 holiday. He reported 55 new COVID-19 hospitalizations since Monday, âthe largest increase in hospitalizations since January."