‘I Don’t Know How Much Longer We Can Do This’: Alabama State Health Officer Frustrated As COVID Cases Surge

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2021/01/Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:497;s:4:"file";s:121:"2021/01/Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:14:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-336x217.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:217;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:119:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-768x450.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-600x497.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:497;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-481x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:481;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-409x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:409;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"gb-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"gb-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-600x497.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:497;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"web-stories-poster-portrait";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-640x497.jpg";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:497;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"web-stories-poster-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:121:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-640x497.jpg";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:497;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:26:"web-stories-publisher-logo";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:119:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-96x96.jpg";s:5:"width";i:96;s:6:"height";i:96;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:21:"web-stories-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:120:"Jerry-Drummonds-of-Vestavia-Hills-gets-his-initial-COVID-vaccine-at-the-JeffCo-Department-of-Health-768x497-1-150x97.jpg";s:5:"width";i:150;s:6:"height";i:97;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => BirminghamWatch
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_image_alt] => Array
        (
            [0] => A man from Vestavia Hills receives his COVID vaccine. Less than 50% of Alabamians are vaccinated against COVID-19.
        )

)
1647316769 
1630074173

Alabama remains in the crosshairs as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of relenting.

“We’re really in a crisis situation. We’ve said that over and over for several weeks,” said Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, in a briefing this morning. “I don’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to do this.”

Case numbers and hospitalizations continue to surge. Hospitalizations are at around 2,900, slightly below the peak in January. With a rise in deaths as well, Harris once again encouraged Alabamians to get vaccinated, especially now that the Pfizer vaccine has been granted full FDA approval.

This week was especially bad for schools. There were 5,571 cases, a 700% increase in cases for school-aged children compared to this time a year ago. The Alabama Department of Public Health does not know how many of those children caught COVID in schools, but it launched a database Friday where people can now see the number of COVID cases in their school district.

Harris emphasized that the way to keep children in schools is to vaccinate those who are eligible and to enforce universal masking regardless of vaccination status. Those who follow the guidelines of three feet of spacing and wearing masks are not considered close contact and therefore do not need to be quarantined when there is an infection.

“We have been told that our guidance has been confusing,” he said. “Our guidance is crystal clear.”

With only 29% of 12-17-year-olds vaccinated, he called on parents to vaccinate their children.

The Department of Public Health is also working to increase the availability of monoclonal antibody treatment, a COVID treatment, but emphasized they are not a substitute for vaccination.

“Monoclonals are a great option for us to have, but they represent a secondary option. What we want is for people to be vaccinated in as many cases as possible,” Harris said.

Alabama has made one of the biggest jumps in the country when it comes to the percentage of people vaccinated, but that percentage still trails behind the rest of the country.

“We don’t know how to convince people to take good advice. We understand people have made this some issue about personal choice,” Harris said. “And we respect people’s personal choice, but there’s right choices and there’s wrong choices. And if you’re not getting vaccinated, you’re making the wrong choice. And it doesn’t just affect you.”

 

Block on Trump’s executive orders restricting DEI programs is lifted

An appeals court on Friday lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, allowing the orders to be enforced as a lawsuit challenging them plays out.

Transgender veterans’ health services in question as VA rescinds guidance on care

In an internal VA memo seen by NPR, the VA says it's rescinding a directive that contains detailed guidance on the kind of care transgender veterans can receive at VA facilities.

Trump reclaims a Justice Department reshaped in his wake

The rare speech at the Justice Department comes as the Trump administration has spent the last several weeks trying to reconfigure the agency, including demoting attorneys who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and firing officials who investigated the president himself.

The NWSL is adopting a tool to protect players from online abuse, commissioner says

NWSL's Jessica Berman says the league is adopting a tool to monitor and protect players from online abuse. The NWSL was scrutinized for not doing more to protect player Barbra Banda from harassment.

Zelenskyy wants U.S. to hit Russia with ‘maximum’ sanctions if it refuses a ceasefire

Ukraine's president said he hopes the U.S. applies "maximum additional sanctions" on Russia if it refuses to accept a 30-day ceasefire, describing the Russian leader's "bravado" as a stalling tactic.

More Norwegian ski jumpers have been suspended due to a major cheating scandal

Team officials are accused of altering athletes' suits to enhance their aerodynamics. The suspension by International Ski and Snowboard Federation (IFS) follows last week's FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

More Front Page Coverage