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News about the Division of Agriculture | Jan. 14, 2021 - COVID edition 2
COVID VACCINE UPDATE:
Plans for accelerated distribution

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced acceleration of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan. Phase 1-B, which includes higher education employees, will begin on Monday, Jan. 18.

However, many details of the distribution from the state level have yet to be announced.

For the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, this means:
  • Division of Agriculture faculty, staff and graduate assistants who are required to work on-site are eligible for the vaccine.
  • Division of Agriculture employees who are completely working remotely and not having face-to-face meetings with clients and others, will not be eligible for the vaccine during this phase. 

While the Division of Agriculture does not require COVID-19 vaccination at this time, it is strongly encouraged that each employee consider receiving the vaccine as a part of efforts to enhance the safety of the work, learning and community environments.
NO OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS

If you choose to be vaccinated, it will be provided to you with no out-of-pocket cost. The U.S. government is providing the vaccine to all states at no cost, including Arkansas. So, the cost of the vaccine will not be billed. However, the vaccine provider may bill your insurance for the vaccine administration fee to cover their cost of giving the vaccine to you. If you have no health insurance, you will not be billed for the administration fee. 

The Arkansas Pharmacists Association provides lists of pharmacies providing COVID-19 vaccines by name, county and city. 
NEEDED DOCUMENTS

To receive the vaccine from eligible providers, you may need to take with you the following:
  • University or Division of Agriculture photo identification
  • Insurance card, if you have one
  • Driver’s license or other form of photo identification 
  • Your pharmacy may require an individualized letter from the division – if your pharmacy requests this please email covid@uaex.edu and we will provide one to you.
OTHER OPTIONS

In addition, we are working with our campus partners on vaccination options for our employees. Some campus partners have applied for and are awaiting approval to be a COVID-19 vaccination provider. Until that approval has been received, please check with your pharmacy of choice, and see if they are accepting reservations. We will let you know about additional vaccination opportunities as we know them.
The following resources provide information about the types of COVID-19 vaccines and what to expect after being vaccinated: 

We will provide you with the most up-to-date information available to the division as it becomes available. Please continue to check your email and the websites above for updates. 
Find employee COVID info here: https://division.uaex.edu/Coronavirus.aspx
QUESTIONS? Email COVID@UAEX.edu
U of A System Division of Ag | division.uaex.edu