Legislators back
veterinary therapy dogs
All four members of the House of Arkansas delegation are the original co-sponsors of a bill that aims to increase veterans’ access to therapy dogs.
HR 1448 advises the veterans affairs secretary to conduct a pilot dog training therapy program and to provide service dogs to veterans with mental illness.
On Friday, 216 representatives – Democrats and Republicans – sponsored the bill presented on Monday.
It was referred to a committee for review.
Shots for the elderly
not yet halfway
No state has yet vaccinated at least half of its adults over 65 against covid-19, according to a new analysis by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
The analysis reviewed data from 33 states and Washington, DC, which reported these figures in late February. Arkansas was among the states that did not make this information available, the researchers said.
North Carolina, Florida, Arizona and South Carolina vaccinated a higher percentage of the older adult group than the national average, with 49% of people in North Carolina receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
Vermont, Washington and Pennsylvania had the lowest percentage of the group over 65 who received the vaccine last month, although the area covering Philadelphia was not included in the analysis, a summary said.
Older adults were given priority to receive the vaccine because they are at greater risk of serious illness or death during the coronavirus pandemic. People in most states over the age of 65 now qualify for the photos.
According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 54 million people in the United States received their first doses of vaccine.
About 27 million people over the age of 18 – or about one in 10 American adults – have been fully vaccinated with two-dose regimens, the public health agency said on its website.