The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has launched a new COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Dashboard that will make it easier for the public to find information. The dashboard, which details the number of vaccines shipped to Alabama and dispensed, can be viewed at https://arcg.is/OrCey.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Dashboard can also be accessed on the newly created COVID-19 Dashboard Hub. This will provide easy access to the Vaccine Distribution, Data and Surveillance, School and Risk Indicator Dashboards through tabs at the top. The COVID-19 Dashboard Hub can be accessed at https://arcg.is/0brSGj.
Both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been sent to the state. Allocations of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been received and are being distributed to 90 sites in Alabama. Additional allocations of the two-dose vaccines are expected weekly. As of Dec. 28, more than 20,350 doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Alabama. The public must continue to be vigilant to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the months ahead as the vaccines are given, state health officials said.
“We want to manage people’s expectations appropriately and remind the public that not everyone can access vaccine at this time,” said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “For the New Year’s holiday and beyond, I encourage people to please stay home and keep their events short in duration, outside when possible, and only with everyone wearing masks.”
ADPH follows the newly revised Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidance for priorities based on risk exposure in providing COVID-19 vaccine. View the four-phase Alabama COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Plan, which defines populations and the order in which they will receive vaccine, at www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/assets/adph-covid19-vaccination-allocation-plan.pdf.
More than 300,000 Alabamians fall into the Phase 1a population. Immunizations are being administered to eligible people at very high risk of exposure to the virus. These include professionals who perform aerosol-generating procedures and front-line health workers, including clinical and nonclinical workers in hospitals, nursing homes or those directly providing in-home or mental health care.
Others in the very high-risk category include health care workers or laboratory personnel collecting or handling potential SARS-CoV-2 specimens, residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and pathologists performing autopsies on people known or suspected to have had SARS-CoV-2.
If providers who receive vaccine allotments have already immunized the very high-risk population and have reached or attempted to reach those in the very high-risk category, they can immunize additional group members in Phase 1a. Once additional providers have their processes in place to administer COVID-19 vaccines, information will be posted on the ADPH website so that people may contact providers and make appointments if they meet the criteria.
ADPH has no specific timetable for when members of the general public can be vaccinated. As the supply of vaccine remains limited, ADPH continues to urge the public to practice the measures needed to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Alabama residents should continue to exercise caution by minimizing travel and avoiding gatherings of people beyond their immediate household. Below are prevention measures all Alabamians should take, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.
- Social distance by staying 6 feet away from others.
- Avoid people who are sick.
- Stay home if you can; work remotely if possible.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a face covering when around others.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
- Monitor your health.
The vaccine is free to all Americans, and the allocation plan will be updated as additional guidance from ACIP is available. ADPH will provide information as additional COVID-19 vaccine products are received.
For more information, go to https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/prevention.html.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
