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Arkansas pharmacies preparing to give out booster, 3rd dose shots

"The pharmacies here in the state are already prepared for this. We’re anticipating the increase of vaccinations."

LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Arkansas pharmacies are gearing up for the influx of people who will seek the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots. They're also preparing for the 3rd dose vaccinations for those who are immunocompromised.

Lyn Fruchey with Freiderica Pharmacy and Compounding in Little Rock said if approved by the FDA, a booster shot for Arkansans would start September 20th. That would be 8 months after the first round of vaccines were given to those in the state.

“The pharmacies here in the state are already prepared for this. We’re anticipating the increase of vaccinations," Fruchey said. 

He said his pharmacy team is getting prepared for more traffic and the state's vaccine supply is better than when they released initial doses. 

They're already giving 3rd doses for immunocompromised Arkansans.

“The third primary dose for people that are severely immune compromised is that those people didn’t get full coverage after they got their second dose, and so this third dose is to go ahead to boost them up so that they’re covered as well as you are," Fruchey said.

Related: No, if you're not immunocompromised you're not currently eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot

Lelan Stice with Doctor's Orders Pharmacy in Pine Bluff said they've contacted the state for additional vaccines in order to be prepared. They're scheduling appointments starting next week, along with accepting walk-ins for the booster shot. 

"We've contacted a few nurses in the area willing to come and help us out with this for a short-term period. Some of them are retired," Stice said.

He said during the peak in February, March, and April they were administering roughly 300 vaccines a day. They're shooting for those same numbers, estimating that 70-75% of previous patients will be coming back. 

"We'll also be moving into the middle of flu shot season at that point so we'll be working through flu shots as well as COVID-19 vaccines," Stice said.

Related: No, the additional COVID-19 vaccine shot for immunocompromised people is not a 'booster shot'

Anne Pace with Kavanaugh Pharmacy said they're preparing for the possibility of an influx of returning patients. 

"We had started to make plans to reopen our vaccination center, a separate location that we opened during when the shots first came available, so we're able to increase our ability to provide more shots," Pace said. 

The center will be down the street from Kavanaugh Pharmacy's main building and is set to open September 20th. 

They peaked for vaccinations in the same months as Doctor's Orders Pharmacy.

"I don't know what to expect at this point, but we just wanted to make sure that we had plenty of space available to expect a lot of people and to be able to get a lot of people in for that third shot," Pace said. 

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