ADPH Plans Mobile Vaccination Clinics For Black Belt Region
Alabama health officials are finalizing plans to deploy mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the state’s Black Belt communities.
During a media call Friday morning, state Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said he and other officials with the Alabama Department of Public Health were meeting later that day with representatives of the Alabama National Guard to discuss details.
The initial plan is to launch two mobile units with the capacity to administer 1,000 vaccine doses a day, four days a week. Members of the National Guard will operate the clinics, which Harris said could be up and running by March 23.
“This allows us to get to parts of the state where access to care is a problem, where transportation is a problem,” Harris said. “We are primarily thinking of this as a tool to reach more rural areas.”
As of this week, more than one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Alabama, which translates to about 13% of state residents having received at least one shot.
Gov. Kay Ivey extended the statewide face mask order Thursday, but said the mandate will expire on April 9.
Harris said residents must remain cautious even after the requirement ends.
“April 10th ought to look a lot like April 9th,” Harris said. “I think people ought to be careful. They ought to stay home if they can. They ought to wear masks if they go out. They ought to stay out of crowds. So we hope people won’t see the end of the mask mandate as just carte blanche to behave any way that they want.”
The Trump administration reverses its promise to publish key climate reports online
Earlier this month, the government websites that hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments went dark. Officials say they're only obligated to give the reports to Congress.
Stacey Abrams warns of autocracy and voter suppression, doesn’t rule out another run
Abrams isn't running for office — but she's not ruling it out, either. "Politics is a tool ... for getting good done, but it's not the only one." Her new thriller is Coded Justice.
Floods are getting more dangerous around the country
New York, North Carolina, New Mexico and Texas have all suffered serious flooding this month. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
In Britain, hopes are mounting to finally clean up sewage-polluted waterways
After years of polluting by the water industry, a report planned for release in the coming days could lead to tightened regulation while also prompting an expensive modernization drive.
The 2025 Emmy nominations are being announced this morning
Nominations for the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards are being announced on Tuesday. They'll be presented by actors Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song.
Inflation heats up in June as President Trump’s tariffs start to bite
Consumer prices were up 2.7% from a year ago — a larger annual increase than the month before.
