The University of Alabama in Birmingham will open two new websites in the coming weeks to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to qualifying people in Alabama, said Dr. Sarah Nafziger, vice president of clinical support services at UAB Medicine, said.
A site at the Hoover Met will open on February 2 by appointment for people 75 years and older. Another website at AH Parker High School will open soon. Nafziger said officials at UAB are still working out the details of the Parker High School location.
Both sites will join the existing transit vaccine clinic at UAB Highlands, which has vaccinated eligible UAB patients against COVID since January 18. UAB announced the additional clinics on the same day that Alabama’s health officer, dr. Scott Harris, increased eligibility for essential workers and people between 65 and 74 years of age. It starts on February 8th.
“Of course, if these groups are eligible for vaccination, more and more people will naturally be able to enroll for vaccination,” Nafziger said.
UAB will work with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency to schedule appointments for non-UAB patients. People who have already signed up through UAB or the vaccination call center and website for Jefferson County do not need to re-register, Nafziger said.
“It’s not necessary to do it again,” Nafziger said. “It will not let you operate faster and it will slow down the process because we have to remove duplicate entries from the system.”
Nafziger urged people to use online portals and number points for vaccinations. She appealed to the family to check with older family members and friends who may not have access to the internet to help them register for the vaccine. People should not call the UAB hospital to make a vaccination appointment because the call center can be overwhelmed.
“It actually happened when the group of 75 years and older was announced,” Nafziger said. “We actually had problems in the hospital because there were a lot of people asking at our call center about the vaccine, and that led to delays in us being able to make the phone calls we had to make for patient care.”
Nafziger said UAB will have the capacity to deliver up to 17,000 vaccines a week with unlimited supplies. At present, the supply of vaccines from the federal government is limited. She said the vaccine supply is likely to increase in the coming months.
So far, UAB has not had a serious vaccine reaction among health professionals and elderly patients who received shots in its clinic.
“The vast majority of people have a sore arm, a little sore muscles,” Nafziger said. ‘Some people have reported a low degree of fever. Just feel a little yucky for about a day. The vast majority of people say that the symptoms disappear within 24 hours. ”
For those who still do not qualify for vaccination, she encouraged patience. Vaccination in Alabama started slowly, but Nafziger said suppliers are working hard to get shots for everyone who qualifies.
“We will be ready as soon as the doses are there,” Nafziger said. ‘If you want the vaccine, you recommend, we want you to get the vaccine. All health care providers in the state want you to have this desperate. ”