Persons 75 years of age and older and first respondents, including police and fire, will be able to obtain COVID-19 vaccines across the state by appointment only from January 18, announced Governor Kay Ivey and the Department of Public Health of the Alabama.
Appointments at locations across the state will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The governor’s office said the addition of the groups is not a complete expansion into the next phase of the vaccine launch.
To schedule a consultation for the free COVID-19 vaccination, call the ADPH toll-free number at 1-855-566-5333. Calls are answered from 8 am to 5 pm, seven days a week.
A few hours after making the announcement, ADPH said it was packed with calls.
“Due to the high volume of calls, callers on the COVID-19 vaccine scheduling hotline are encouraged to try the call again later if they receive a busy signal,” said ADPH. “The hotline received more than 338,000 calls in the first hours of operation. We are quickly adding a team to assist callers and we appreciate your patience. “
Here is the link to see vaccination locations and specific additional information, such as what to bring and what to wear, will be provided when appointments are made.
People who wish to be vaccinated in locations other than the county health department, such as a private provider, should contact these locations.
“I appreciate ADPH’s quick work to establish a system that efficiently provides our limited vaccine resources to as many Alabama residents as possible,” Ivey said in a press release. “We have previously worked to provide vaccines to our healthcare professionals who are at the forefront of the pandemic, and now we are working diligently to expand access to our elderly, police and several members of our first respondents. It is essential that everyone is patient; demand is high and supply is low. ADPH and its partners are working 24 hours a day to help as many people as possible. “
Alabama is still working to vaccinate more than 326,000 health workers and nursing home residents who are most at risk of contracting COVID-19, the governor’s office said. As vaccine acceptance for this category is satisfied, ADPH is now encouraging locals to vaccinate people aged 75 and over and those working in law enforcement and firefighters to prevent vaccine loss due to chain storage requirements. cold.
“We recognize that the demand for vaccines exceeds the supply,” said state health officer Dr. Scott Harris. “While there is still an insufficient amount of vaccine, we want to maximize our resources to help protect high-risk Alabamians. County health departments are working with their local distribution points to assess the scope of vaccination. Decisions about the next groups to be vaccinated are made at the community level with community involvement. If the very high-risk population has been adequately covered, providers can start vaccinating people in the other priority groups. “
Related: Everything you need to know about the COVID vaccine in Alabama
Nearly 350,000 people in Alabama would qualify for the vaccine at age 75 or older, the governor’s office said.
More information about COVID-19 vaccines.