From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — In a Tuesday press release, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) explains the challenges of administering COVID-19 vaccines.
“The overriding issue at present is the scarcity of vaccine,” said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “We realize that there are many people at increased risk of exposure to the virus who are not yet able to receive immunization. As the supply of vaccine remains limited, we continue to urge the public to practice the measures needed to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19.”
The ADPH follows the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidance regarding administration of COVID-19 vaccine.
State health officials say that in this first phase of vaccination, Phase 1a, the critical infrastructure workforce is identified as frontline health workers, including clinical and nonclinical workers in hospitals, nursing homes or those providing in-home or mental health care directly, and emergency medical service (EMS) providers.
Various phase levels are based on risk exposure, and Alabama is currently in Phase 1a. The population that falls into this phase consists of more than 300,000 Alabamians.
Once additional quantities of vaccine are available, ADPH will provide information about how the public can go about getting vaccinated.
For additional information, go to https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/prevention.html