The rate of COVID-19 vaccines in Alabama is increasing.
Today’s update from the Department of Public Health in Alabama shows that the state administered 41778 coronavirus vaccines in the week ending January 9th. Of the recent vaccines, 22,228 were branded Pfizer; 19 550 was manufactured by Moderna. In total, Alabama has administered 87,138 COVID-19 vaccinations – about 32% of the total grant – since the December 12, 2020 week program began.
Leading medical workers were the first to receive the vaccine, followed by first respondents. From January 18, the state expands its program to include people 75 years and older and more categories of essential workers.
However, the planned rollout had problems. The state’s COVID-19 inline phone received more than 1.1 million phone calls on the first day of operation, as many people complained that they could not reach anyone to schedule their appointment. Hospitals were flooded with calls and government officials pointed out that the demand for vaccine far outweighed the supply.
There are about 300,000 health workers in the state and 350,000 people 75 years and older who qualify according to the ADPH. Alabama’s vaccine award was 271,925.
On Monday, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that the state would launch a website for online vaccine registration, but she did not give a date for its launch.