Vaccine 1000 clinic rescheduled due to ice storm

City hoping third time’s a charm for vaccination effort

By JOHN RECH

news@theeveningtimes.com

The city of West Memphis’ goal to have a thousand 1B citizens receive COVID-19 vaccinations was postponed again last week due to the massive snowfall and freezing temperatures. The event had already been pushed back a week after an ice storm blew through the city the previous Thursday morning, the start of a week-long winter weather event.

All scheduled vaccination appointments will remain the same time and the vaccine clinic location remained the same, Lehr Arena, 503 W. Broadway, West Memphis.

Mayor Marco McClendon explained the postponement due to ice storm-related safety concerns when announcing the cancellation.

“We do not want to bring our residents out in these icy conditions, we have crews working to keep our residents safe, and the roads as clear as possible,” said Mc-Clendon.

Newly appointed West Memphis Office of Emergency Managements Director DeWayne Rose underscored both the importance of the vaccine to the elderly in Group 1B and waiting for the icy travel conditions to clear.

“While we know our age-70-plus community members are eager to be vaccinated, the health and safety of the attendees, staff, and volunteers is most important,” said Rose. “Until then, please continue to wear a mask covering the nose and mouth and maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet when in public.”

After the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Lehr Arena was postponed for the second time due to weather. The new date was set for Saturday, March 5, with all appointment times remaining the same. The state health department allotted 1,000 vaccines for those in 1B.