From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said its top priority is getting the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of Alabamians, in a press release on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021.
The department has added clinics daily, including drive-thru clinics in some counties. The greatest challenge in the state and other states has been limited vaccines, according to the press release.
The current availability of the vaccine is for healthcare providers, nursing home residents, law enforcement officers, firefighters and persons 75 years of age and older.
Beginning Feb. 8, the ADPH will expand vaccine availability to people 65 years of age and older. This will be part of Phase 1b. You can view the detailed plan by clicking here.
The ADPH said an average of 60,000 to 70,000 doses of vaccines are being shipped to Alabama each week. 392,624 have been administered.
The federal government has partnered with 21 national pharmacy chains and independent networks to help administer COVID-19 vaccine in communities across the United States as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. The program will be implemented incrementally, based on the available supply of COVID-19 vaccines. As part of this initial phase, select Wal-Mart locations throughout Alabama will receive a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine directly from the federal government to vaccinate eligible individuals in their communities. The locations are being finalized.
A new vaccine could soon be available. Johnson & Johnson is expected to send an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for their single-shot COVID-19 vaccine in the near future.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility Check and Scheduling Portal is available at www.alcovidvaccine.gov. The portal allows people to schedule available vaccine appointments, access a map of drive-through and walk-in locations, and sign up to be notified as new priority groups are available to receive vaccine. Appointments may not be available immediately at this time, as ADPH continues to be limited by the amount of vaccine provided by the federal government. Access to appointments will grow as supply from the federal government increases.
Beginning the week of February 8, there will be 8 large scale drive-through clinics throughout the state. Clinics will be located in Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, and Tuscaloosa. The goal is for each location to be able to give 1,000 vaccines per day that week, totaling 40,000 doses administered. Additional information will be provided about the location in each city.
