This story was updated at 5 pm on January 19 with a response from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Four Alabama lawmakers – two of whom were hospitalized with COVID-19 – signed a letter saying that slow state implementation and inconsistent reporting could result in the state receiving fewer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the future.
State Senators Jim McClendon, Greg Albritton, Tom Whatley and Randy Price – all Republicans – released a letter on Tuesday entitled “The COVID Vaccine Distribution Problem in Alabama”, blaming the Alabama Department of Public Health for slowness in administration and fails to accurately record its distribution efforts so far.
“The distribution of vaccines to Alabama will continue to be interrupted until Alabama complies with the rules,” the letter states. ”The rule is simple: the CDC will not authorize remittances to Alabama until they know we are using what we have at hand. Our citizens are paying a fatal price. “
ADPH issued a response on Tuesday afternoon, saying that the department was in “ongoing talks” with the CDC about how many doses were administered in the state, and that the state has not missed any doses of the vaccine.
“The number of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine allocated to Alabama is based on our population and is not determined by the amount of vaccine available in the state,” said ADPH. “The number of doses remaining from previous allocations does not affect the number of doses that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorize for Alabama.”
In their letter, senators referred to a new policy, announced last week by the CDC, that vaccine allocations will be prioritized for states that are distributing the vaccine more quickly. But that policy was not immediate and has not yet come into effect.
CDC data at the end of last week showed Alabama with the lowest COVID vaccination rate of any state, although ADPH said it did not agree with the CDC figures. The department said it is taking steps to ensure that all doses administered in the state are being counted.
Alabama senators argue that the classification could result in reduced remittances to Alabama. Senators say ADPH “is unable to provide” information to the CDC on how many doses were received, distributed and administered daily to patients in the state. They say that the more than 200 sites that are distributing the vaccine should be forced to report these doses quickly.
“In short, ADPH must ensure that every dose administered is recorded so that the feds send us more,” the letter states. “Although more than 200 places are giving doses, not all are entering them. And to be honest, the doctors, pharmacists and nurses who are giving Covid vaccines in addition to their daily tasks are already doing ADPHs’ work, and blaming them for not entering doses in the registry is unproductive. ”
ADPH said in its response that these questions were answered.
“The data to answer each of the questions asked in the letter is publicly available on the ADPH COVID-19 vaccine distribution panel, which can be accessed on the ADPH website (arcg.is/OrCey) and was updated on January 19, 2021, ”said the department. “CDC data is available on its vaccine data tracker website (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations), although the CDC has not updated Alabama information since January 15 2021. ”
This week, Alabama’s COVID vaccine panel, which was updated weekly, began to have more regular updates and is now showing higher totals than the federal database.
ADPH Deputy General Counsel Dana Billingsley told AL.com in an email last week that vaccine suppliers are required to report vaccine information within 24 hours after the vaccine is administered, but that some suppliers “were not providing complete information”, which resulted in some doses not being registered by the state.
“This problem is being addressed and corrected to ensure that all doses of the vaccine are counted in the CDC data,” said Billingsley on Friday.
Senators suggest that ADPH requires accurate and timely reporting from the clinics, pharmacies and hospitals that administer the vaccines, and that facilities that cannot meet reporting requirements “are not provided with an additional vaccine until they comply.”
McClendon and Price were hospitalized with COVID themselves, with Price reportedly needing a ventilator during his recovery. Whatley said he also tested positive, but did not need hospitalization.
The department said it is doing everything possible to administer the vaccine as soon as possible.
“ADPH receives thousands of calls, emails and messages on social media every day from people who are giving suggestions to help speed up the vaccination process,” said ADPH. “We appreciate any recommendation and want the public to be sure that ADPH has a huge team of doctors, nurses, public health specialists and other medical professionals who continue to work tirelessly to launch the vaccine in Alabama. A vaccination plan of this size is truly unprecedented, and ADPH thanks everyone for their patience as we work to end the COVID-19 pandemic. “
*AL.com reporter Sarah Whites-Koditschek contributed to this report.