State health officer Dr. Scott Harris said today that the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Alabama will continue to fall short of demand in the foreseeable future, meaning there are no immediate plans to expand eligibility for those who can receive it. vaccines, including for those aged 65-74.
Harris gave an update on the state of Alabama’s vaccine distribution, which so far has been for health care workers, nursing home residents, people aged 75 and over, and first responders.
The next major phase of the state plan would include people aged 65 to 74 and those aged 16 to 64 with health problems that would make them at greater risk.
Harris said the 65- to 74-year-old group would add almost half a million people to the eligible number. But he said the state did not have enough chances for groups already eligible.
“So adding that number to us would mean sending a message to all those Alabama between 65 and 75 that now you’re on the front line, it’s time to get the vaccine,” said Harris. “And we still don’t have a vaccine. The total amount will not change. That is why we try to be deliberate in doing so.
“We believe that all of these people deserve a vaccine and need to get it as soon as possible. And, at the same time, adding hundreds of thousands of people to the lines we already have without any additional vaccines will be a difficult situation for everyone ”.
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There are about 695,000 people in the vaccine-qualified groups so far. Harris said that about 224,000 injections were delivered in Alabama, and that includes about 28,000 secondary doses.
The state has given the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which require two vaccines a few weeks apart.
The state is receiving about 50,000 to 60,000 doses a week, Harris said. This does not include the doses allocated for the second injection, which arrives in the state about a week before the date scheduled for the second injection.
Alabama’s vaccine share is based on its population as a percentage of the US population, Harris said.
Harris said there is a chance that vaccine supply could increase slightly in February, if manufacturers can produce more. He said a new Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be available sometime in February.
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Harris said nearly 900 providers are trained and authorized to give vaccines in Alabama, but more than 500 of them have not received any injections.
“This simply has to do with the vaccine supply we received,” said Harris.
Authorized providers include hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics, county health departments, community health centers, pharmacies and rural health clinics.
Harris said that only 117 of those entities are scheduled to receive vaccines from next week’s distribution to the state.
This story will be updated. Edited at 1:52 pm to say that there are about 695,000 people in the groups eligible for photos so far, and not 675,000.