Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arkansas Governor Blames Myth-Spreading For Low Vaccine Uptake
Politico: Arkansas Governor Blames 'Myths' For 'Hardened' Vaccine Resistance
The Republican governor of Arkansas on Sunday said resistance to the coronavirus vaccine "has hardened" in some areas of the state, blaming the hesitancy on "false information" and "myths." "I don't know if I underestimated it, but, certainly, the resistance has hardened in certain elements, and is simply false information," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." (O'Brien, 7/25)
CNN: Arkansas' Governor Defends Decision To Approve A Statewide Ban On Mask Mandates
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday defended his decision to approve a statewide ban on face mask mandates earlier this year, citing a low coronavirus case rate at the time -- a rate that is now rapidly rising. "Well, that was the will of the General Assembly. I signed it. At that point we had very low case rates in Arkansas and people knew exactly what to do. They were capable of making their decisions," Hutchinson, a Republican, told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" when asked about his decision to approve the ban in April. (Cole, 7/25)
AP: New Arkansas COVID-19 Cases Top 2,000, 1st Time In 5 Months
COVID-19 continues to rage through Arkansas as new day-over-day cases topped 2,000 for the first time since February. State health officials reported 2,015 new cases Saturday as the highly contagious delta variant swept across the state, prompting the state to resume weekend daily updates. Another 1,022 were reported Sunday. (7/25)
The Hill: Huckabee Sanders Writes Op-Ed On Why She Got Vaccinated
Former White House press secretary and Republican Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced in an op-ed that she has been vaccinated against the coronavirus and urged others to do the same. "Like many of you, I have had a lot of misinformation thrown at me by politicians and the media during the pandemic. And, like many of you, I spent a lot of time sorting through it all, trying to make the best decision I could for myself and my family," Sanders wrote in the entry published over the weekend in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "Based on the advice of my doctor, I determined that the benefits of getting vaccinated outweighed any potential risks." The fact that former President Trump and his family had been vaccinated, Sanders said, helped her make her decision. (Mastrangelo, 7/25)
Sarah Sanders slams Dr. Fauci as "arrogant" and says he "misjudged the Trump vaccine plan" —
Sarah Huckabee Sanders: The reasoning behind getting vaccinated
