Gov. Asa Hutchinson appeared on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday morning to discuss Arkansas' surging covid-19 cases and low vaccination rates -- now 44th in the country.
Hospitalizations in the state are rising. The current average age of the hospitalizations has dropped from where it was early on in the pandemic by 10 years, from 64 to 54, Hutchinson said. It's the 30-54-year-olds who don't have good vaccination rates, he said.
"We're working very hard to go to that population through the employers, through trusted advisers, such as the clinics, making sure they have the information and overcoming the hesitancy or just the -- simply we're putting it off approach," he said.
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Hutchinson will also visit six more cities this week as part of his covid-19 community conversations to discuss concerns and ideas to increase vaccination rates.
Hutchinson explained the partisan divide on vaccinations, in response to anchor George Stephanopoulos' question, as conservatives' natural skepticism about government. According to a new Washington Post poll, 93 percent of Democrats said they're vaccinated while only 49 percent of Republicans said they were.
"And we just have to answer it just like we have all through history, that you overcome skepticism and mistrust by truth," he said. "You overcome resistance and obstinance with saying it's important for our community, and it's important for the health of our state and nation."
Hutchinson and Dr. Anthony Fauci, who appeared on the show shortly before Hutchinson, both said vaccinations shouldn't be a partisan issue. Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, also agreed with the governor that the lack of full authorization from the FDA for the vaccines is contributing to vaccine hesitancy, though he said it's only a technical issue.
"It's the FDA dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s," Fauci said. "But there's no doubt in my mind that these vaccines are going to get full approval because of the extraordinary amount of positive data."