From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — The FDA has approved the first Covid-19 vaccine, the agency announced Monday, August 23, 2021.
Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Mark Harris continued to encourage Alabama residents t0 get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“The most effective tools to reduce the spread of COVID-19 continue to be COVID-19 vaccines,” Harris said during his monthly address in August. “Alabama has more than 1,400 locations where free vaccine is available to all, with or without insurance.”
“We urge people who are hesitant to be vaccinated to contact their own healthcare providers or ADPH before concluding they should not be vaccinated,” Harris continued. “Fully vaccinated people are less likely to spread the virus to others, even if they get COVID-19… Follow the data and science and get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
More than 20,000 new cases of the virus have been reported statewide with a positivity rate of 23.4% over the past week. Since the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020), Alabama has had 659,750 documented cases of COVID-19.