State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said today the supply of COVID-19 vaccine coming to Alabama will continue to fall well short of the demand for the foreseeable future, which means there are no immediate plans to expand eligibility for who can receive shots, including to those age 65-74.
Harris gave an update on the status of the rollout of vaccines in Alabama, which so far have gone to health care workers, nursing home residents, people 75 and older, and first-responders.
The next major phase of the state’s plan would include people age 65 to 74 and those ages 16 to 64 with health conditions that make them at higher risk.
Harris said the age 65 to 74 group would add almost a half-million people to the number eligible. But he said the state does not have enough shots for the groups already eligible.
“So adding that number for us would mean sending a message to all these Alabamians between 65 and 75 that you’re now at the front of the line, it’s time for you to get your vaccine,” Harris said. “And yet we don’t have any more vaccine. The total amount is not going to change. That’s why we’ve tried to be deliberate about doing that.
“We believe everyone of those people deserve a vaccine and needs to get it as fast as possible. And yet at the same time, adding hundreds of thousands of people to the lines that we have already without any additional vaccine is going to be a difficult situation for everyone.”
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There are about 695,000 people in the groups made eligible for shots so far. Harris said about 224,000 shots have been given in Alabama, and that includes about 28,000 second doses.
The state has been giving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccinces, both of which require two shots a few weeks apart.
The state is receiving about 50,000 to 60,000 doses a week, Harris said. That does not include the doses allocated for second shots, which come to the state about a week before the second shot is due.
Alabama’s share of vaccines is based on its population as a percentage of the U.S. population, Harris said.
Harris said there’s a chance vaccine supply could increase slightly in February if manufacturers are able to produce more. He said a new, one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson could be available sometime in February.
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Harris said almost 900 providers are trained and authorized to give vaccines in Alabama, but more than 500 of those have not received any shots to give.
“It simply has to do with the supply of vaccine that we get,” Harris said.
The authorized providers include hospitals, doctor’s offices and clinics, county health departments, community health centers, pharmacies and rural health clinics.
Harris said only 117 of those entities are scheduled to receive vaccines from next week’s allocation to the state.
This story will be updated. Edited at 1:52 p.m. to say there are about 695,000 people in the groups eligible for shots so far, not 675,000.