From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is urging Alabamians to be patient as frontline healthcare works and the elderly continue to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations.
The department said the demand for the vaccine has exceeded the current supply and its top priority is getting more than 326,000 healthcare workers and 350,000 people who are 75-years-old and older vaccinated.
“Priority access to vaccine cannot be granted to other groups of people as ADPH follows the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the allocation of this limited supply,” ADPH said in a press release Monday.
The ADPH is also creating an online registration portal in addition to its toll-free hotline. The department is asking only those in an eligible group – healthcare workers, people age 75 and older, law enforcement officers or firefighters – to call. Furthermore, the public cannot schedule vaccine appointments by calling hospitals directly.
The toll-free COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Hotline number is 1-855-566-5333. For general information about COVID-19, the COVID-19 Information Hotline number is 1-800-270-7268.
Jefferson County EMA and the Jefferson County Department of Health have created a COVID-19 Vaccination hotline for residents. Those who are in the current Vaccine Allocation Phase may contact the Jefferson County Unified Command (JCUC) COVID-19 Call Center at 205-85VACC1 (205-858-2221). JCUC has reminded the public to be aware that in Phase 1a, the vaccine is to be distributed to health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. Those who are not in the currently eligible group are asked to please not attempt to pre-register so that those who are currently eligible can have the opportunity to get through.