Alabama is currently shown on a CDC dashboard the last place that shows the percentage of population in each state that received the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Thursday afternoon, Alabama reported the lowest COVID vaccination rate of any state, and the only state that gave the vaccine to less than 2 percent of its population.
According to the dashboard, Alabama administered at least the first dose of vaccine to 92,300 people, about 1.9% of the population.
The Alabama Department of Public Health, which administers vaccines in the state, says they do not agree with the data.
“The data from the Department of Public Health in Alabama (ADPH) does not currently agree with CDC’s data,” said Dr. Karen Landers, ADPH, said Thursday by email. “ADPH is investigating to ensure that all doses administered by Alabama are counted.”
The CDC dashboard currently shows Alabama with the lowest vaccination rate of any state, with many other Southeastern countries standing close to the bottom. Georgia is second from the bottom, with 2.2% of its population vaccinated, followed by South Carolina with 2.3%. The dashboard reports how many people per 100,000 inhabitants in each state received at least one dose of the vaccine. Alabama’s population was 1,882 people per 100,000, or 1.9% of the total population.
Many parts of Alabama offer the vaccine only to people in Phase 1a of the state’s vaccine grant plan, leading health care workers and people living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.
From Monday, the state will offer vaccines for people aged 75 and older, as well as emergencies across the country, but there are few places where people can receive a vaccine. However, some states, including Texas and California, have already begun offering the vaccines to anyone over the age of 65.
The CDC this week recommended that all states open the vaccines immediately to people 65 and older. The decision rests with the states. However, the CDC has also announced plans to reward countries that give vaccines faster by sending them a larger share of the vaccine.
A live hotline to make appointments to receive a vaccine was flooded with 1.1 million calls on the first day of surgery, and the department reported that appointments were no longer available. Instead, the department takes information about the callers to put it on a waiting list when more appointments are available.