UCA to start semester with remote classes

CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) will begin its spring semester with three days of remote learning, a university news release issued by President Houston Davis said.

Beginning Jan. 19, UCA will hold remote classes through Jan. 22, and start in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 25. The university will exempt education internships and certain health care profession programs from the first-week remote learning requirement.

University officials made the decision to start the semester with remote learning to ensure the campus community had time to prepare to follow the university’s strict COVID-19 protocols, UCA president Houston Davis wrote in the release.

“We have a great responsibility to do all we can to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our area,” Davis wrote. “Starting our spring semester with four days of remote instruction will allow members of the campus community to finish quarantine and/or isolation periods, get tested for COVID-19 if needed and ensure that they are healthy before they reenter the classroom space.”

Despite the decision to pivot to remote learning during the first week of classes, UCA residence halls will still open on Jan.

17, as well as all other campus services.

Amanda Hoelzeman, a university spokesman, described the decision to pivot to remote learning as allowing the campus community “an extra week to ensure they are healthy.”

She added that the decision also helped the greater Conway community.

“As [the public] know[s] and as medical professionals expected, Arkansas and many other states have seen increases in COVID19 cases following the holiday season,” Hoelzeman said. “At UCA, we want to be a good partner in the community and do all we can to help slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Additionally, the university will host a COVID-19 testing event at the UCA Student Center on Jan. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The testing event is free for all students, faculty and staff.

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LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery reminds players to stay aware and alert as they play lottery games. Fraud accounts and scammers never take a break, especially when jackpots get really high.

The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday has climbed to $750 million, and Saturday’s Powerball jackpot stands at $640 million.

“Fake lottery scams are fairly common,” said ASL Director Eric Hagler. “You can receive a phone call, email, text and even social media messages that are seemingly real. Do not be fooled. Stay aware and play responsibly.”

Hagler said the only time lottery representatives might be contacting players is to notify them that they have won a Second-Chance Promotion or a Play It Again drawing through The Club. Otherwise players must come forward to claim their prize.

“If players who joined The Club are skeptical when notified, we encourage them to call the lottery to confirm,” he said. “A legitimate lottery official never

Continued on Page 11 STATE NEWS (cont.)

asks winners to pay taxes upfront. All federal and state taxes are paid before the lottery releases the money to the winner.”

Also, if a person did not buy a lottery ticket, he cannot win a lottery prize. If anyone has been contacted by someone claiming they won a lottery jackpot, but they have never purchased a ticket, it is a scam.

Lotteries of foreign countries are illegal in the United States. If anyone has been contacted by a lottery claiming to be affiliated with the government of another country, it is a scam.

Anyone who thinks they have been a victim of fraud or attempted fraud by someone posing as a representative of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, is asked to report it to the Arkansas Lottery Security hotline at 1-888-606-6292 and/or the Arkansas Attorney General’s office at 1-800-482-8982.

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JONESBORO — If he’s lucky, Michael McFarlin of McFarlin Pharmacy in Monette will receive 40 vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine next week.

That would be enough for about 250 patients to receive their first of two shots as the state expands the list of people who are eligible for the vaccine. But he knows that’s not nearly enough.

“I would say close to a thousand or more” have requested appointments for the vaccine, McFarlin said

Continued on Page 14 STATE NEWS (cont.)

last Thursday.

His is one of only eight pharmacies in Craighead County that have been approved for administering the vaccine that can potentially bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic recession that’s crippled much of the world’s population.

Some of those pharmacies, such as Stone’s Pharmacy in Jonesboro and The Pharmacy at Brookland only gained approval this week to administer the vaccine for the first time.

But on Tuesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said pharmacies could begin administering the shots to an expanded list, including Arkansans 70 or older and education workers, including teachers and child care workers, beginning next Monday. The governor said people should call the pharmacy in advance to make an appointment.

Eric Hadley, owner of Stone’s Pharmacy, said he started getting calls for appointments before the Arkansas Department of Health notified him he had been approved for next week.

“It’s overwhelming,” Hadley said of the calls.

Since he’s new to the process, Hadley said he only requested 100 doses.

He doesn’t know when or how much of the vaccine he will receive.

He’ll schedule appointments as soon as he knows how many doses he actually received.

Jessicas Weindel of The Pharmacy at Brookland said patients are urged to log onto the pharmacy’s website to submit the necessary paperwork and propose an appointment time.

Like Stone’s Pharmacy, Weindel said Brookland wasn’t expecting to participate in the program for another couple of months.

“It was a nice surprise, I have to say. It’s just been busy ever since, because it seems like everybody wants one,” Weindel said of the demand.

The vaccines are administered at no cost to the patient. Pharmacies are reimbursed for the administrative costs of providing the service.

Pharmacies like McFarlin’s had just been providing the drug to health care workers, nursing home residents and first responders such as firefighters, police officers and ambulance technicians the past few weeks.

The governor’s announcement this week made more than 400,000 more people eligible for the shots.

“We have three phone lines and they’re ringing nonstop all day,” McFarlin said as he cautioned that patients may have to wait several days before he can fit them in. “They see Monday is the day the phase opens, but there’s so much demand and not enough supply that it’s just going to take a while.”

The vaccine requires two doses three weeks apart, and McFarlin said that means he’ll have to take that into consideration when making appointments.

“My second dose patients … they’re going to start coming due for their second shot probably at the end of next week,” McFarlin said of the estimated 250 patients who have already received their first dose.

McFarlin said he has conducted clinics before and after store normal hours.

While the past few weeks have been hectic, it’s also been rewarding, he said.

“It’s been humbling as far as the people who have been lucky enough to get vaccinated,” McFarlin said. “How much relief, how happy they are when you call and tell them when we’ve got them scheduled.

When you give them the shot. It’s been something that I haven’t experienced in pharmacy, and I’ve been doing it for over 20 years.” Participating pharmacies and their phone numbers: STATE NEWS (cont.)

, Monette, 486-5220.

Soo’s Drug Store, Jonesboro, 932-6930.

Southern Pharmacy of Arkansas, Jonesboro, 972-1751.

Stone’s Pharmacy, Jonesboro, 935-5538.

Super V Drugs, 972-6470. The Medicine Shoppe, Jonesboro, 935-1340.

The Pharmacy at Brookland, 206-9920.

Woodsprings Pharmacy, 972-8310.

Greene County

Hyde Pharmacy, Paragould, 239-4036.

Prescription Corner Drug, Paragould, 239-9535.

Lawrence County

Economed of Walnut Ridge, 886-5700.

Imboden Medical Pharmacy, 869-2046.

Rogers Pharmacy, Walnut Ridge, 886-5700.

Poinsett County

Family Care Pharmacy, Marked Tree, 358-2484.

Harrisburg Clinic Pharmacy, 926-3458.

Southern Pharmacy, Lepanto, 475-2617.

The Daily Dose Pharmacy, Trumann, 709-0566.

Mississippi County

Delta Drug, Manila, 561-3113.

Rose Pharmacy, Blytheville, 762-4545.

Southern Pharmacy, Leachville, 539-6831.

Jackson County

Darling Pharmacy, Newport, 523-5888.

CareRx Pharmacy, Newport, 523-5555.

Norman & Baker Pharmacy, Newport, 523-0472.

Randolph County

Futrell Pharmacy, Pocahontas, 892-5615.

Randolph County Drug, Pocahonas, 202-2536.

Cross County

Caldwell Pharmacy, Wynne, 238-7085.

Wynne Apothecary, 238-8511.

Wynne Medical Pharmacy, 238-8531.

Clay County

Goodman Drug, Corning, 857-0551.

Piggott Pharmacy, 598-3183.

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LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas House voted Thursday to require members and staff to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The House voted 81-2 to adopt rules for this year’s session that included the mask mandate, a requirement that came a day after another lawmaker tested positive for the virus.

The rules are nearly identical to those approved by the Senate for its chamber three days earlier. Neither chamber has included penalties for lawmakers who do not wear a mask.

The move came the day after a state representative become the 22nd Arkansas legislator to test positive for the virus. House Speaker Matthew Shepherd said officials were conducting contact tracing, but he did not know of any new cases.

Arkansas’ virus cases on Thursday rose by 2,491 to 264,511. The state’s deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, increased by 42 to 4,228.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, which have hit record numbers in recent weeks, dropped by 67 to 1,295. The number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators also dropped by 14.

“This will relieve some of the strain on our health care system as we continue to distribute vaccine doses,” Gov Asa Hutchinson said.

The state health department said 116,772 doses have been given of the 324,400 the state has received so far.