Providers Plan For Vaccinating Millions of Rural Alabamians
Health experts are working to iron out the logistics of administering the COVID-19 vaccine in rural Alabama.
Depending on how you count it, UAB’s Dr. William Curry estimates anywhere from 1.25 to 2.9 million residents live in rural communities.
“So there are a lot of people and trying to vaccinate at least 70 or 80 percent of that large number is a very daunting task and we need to do it quickly,” said Curry, a physician and associate dean of primary care and rural medicine at UAB Medicine.
As Curry and other medical providers map out how to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to the most isolated areas of the state, they face familiar problems.
There is a shortage of hospitals, clinics and staff to deliver the vaccine, plus a lack of infrastructure and resources to effectively store it. On top of that, Curry said many residents are reluctant to receive it.
In the coming months, UAB will work with the Alabama Department of Public Health and a network of rural providers to encourage vaccination. Health experts will reach out to local leaders, including sheriffs and pastors, to help spread the word about the risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Education and community engagement is essential,” Curry said. “And people need to hear it from somebody like them, that they trust.”
In recent weeks, COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations have increased significantly across Alabama, with per-capita infection rates higher in many rural counties than they are in urban areas.
Curry said there is still not enough testing or contact tracing in rural communities, which makes it difficult to accurately monitor and control viral spread.
The first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine began arriving Monday in Alabama, with additional shipments scheduled to arrive Tuesday. The initial allotment of 40,950 doses, prioritized for frontline health care providers, is being distributed to 15 hospitals with capacity for ultra-cold storage.
Judge rules immigration officers in Minneapolis can’t detain peaceful protesters
Officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in a U.S. immigration enforcement operation can't detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren't obstructing authorities, a judge ruled Friday.
Justice Department opens investigation into Minnesota governor and Minneapolis mayor
Federal prosecutors are investigating Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey.
No sign of new protests in Iran as a hard-line cleric calls for executions
A Iran returns to an uneasy calm after protests led to a violent crackdown, a senior cleric is calling for the death penalty for detained demonstrators. His sermon Friday also threatened U.S. President Trump.
Gulf South food banks look back on a challenging year as another shutdown looms
Federal funding cuts and a 43-day government shutdown made 2025 a chaotic year for Gulf South food banks. For many, the challenges provide a road map for 2026.
Measles is spreading fast in S.C. Here’s what it says about vaccine exemptions
More than 550 people have contracted measles in Spartanburg County, S.C., in a fast-growing outbreak. Like a majority of U.S. counties, nonmedical exemptions to school vaccination are also rising.
It took 75 governors to elect a woman. Spanberger will soon be at Virginia’s helm
Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman, is breaking long-held traditions on inauguration day. She says she wants her swearing-in to showcase the state's modern vibrancy.
