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The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has launched a new COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Dashboard which will make it easier for the public to navigate vaccine information. The dashboard, which details the number of vaccines shipped to Alabama and dispensed, can be viewed at: https://arcg.is/OrCey
The COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Dashboard can also be accessed on the newly created COVID-19 Dashboard Hub. This will provide easy access to the Vaccine Distribution, Data and Surveillance, School and Risk Indicator Dashboards through tabs at the top. The COVID-19 Dashboard Hub can be accessed at:  https://arcg.is/0brSGj
Both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been sent to the state. Allocations of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been received and are being distributed to 90 sites in Alabama. Additional allocations of the two-dose vaccines are expected on a weekly basis. As of December 28, 20,354 doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the state. ADPH follows the newly revised Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidance regarding placing priorities based on risk exposure in providing COVID-19 vaccine. View the Alabama COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Plan which defines populations and the order in which they will receive vaccine in four phases at www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/assets/adph-covid19-vaccination-allocation-plan.pdf
More than 300,000 Alabamians fall into the Phase 1a population. Immunizations are being administered to eligible persons at very high risk of exposure to the virus. These include professionals who perform aerosol-generating procedures and frontline health workers, including clinical and nonclinical workers in hospitals, nursing homes or those providing in-home or mental health care directly. Others in the very high-risk category include healthcare workers or laboratory personnel collecting or handling potential SARS-CoV-2 specimens, and residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and pathologists performing autopsies on persons known or suspected to have had SARS-CoV-2 at the time of death.
If providers who receive vaccine allotments have already immunized the very high-risk population and have adequately reached or attempted to reach those in the very high-risk category, additional group members in Phase 1a can also be immunized.
Once additional providers have their processes in place for COVID-19 vaccine administration, information will be posted on the ADPH website so that persons may contact providers and make appointments if they meet the criteria.

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, “We want to manage people’s expectations appropriately and remind the public that not everyone can access vaccine at this time. For the New Year’s holiday and beyond, I encourage people to please stay home and keep their events short in duration, outside when possible, and only with everyone wearing masks.”

ADPH has no specific timetable about when members of the general public can be vaccinated. As the supply of vaccine remains limited, ADPH continues to urge the public to practice the measures needed to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Alabama residents should continue to exercise caution by minimizing travel and avoiding gatherings of people beyond their immediate household. Below are prevention measures all Alabamians should take, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.

·        Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds
·        Social distance by staying 6 feet away from others
·        Avoid people who are sick
·        Stay home if you can; work remotely if possible
·        Cover your mouth and nose with a face covering when around others
·        Cover coughs and sneezes
·        Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
·        Monitor your health

It should be noted that the vaccine is free to all Americans and the allocation plan document will be updated as additional guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is available. ADPH will provide information as additional COVID-19 vaccine products are received.