January 14, 2021
I suspect few people know that, in Alabama, a 74 year-old man recovering from cancer cannot get vaccinated before a healthy 26 year-old lawyer or computer technician. In a State where 78.6% of the COVID-19 deaths are persons aged 65 years and older, while only 4.4% of the deaths are persons between the ages of 25 and 49, that may seem unfair, but that’s the system the Alabama Dept of Public Health has put in place.
ADPH’s vaccine distribution plan has escaped scrutiny up to now. Most people will readily concede that medical first responders and nursing home residents should be given top priority. But, we should examine what happens to people who are not eligible for Phase 1a, especially in light of Alabama’s status as last in the nation in the percentage of its population to be vaccinated so far.
The second priority tier - Phase 1b - includes persons aged 75 and older, plus certain “essential workers” specified in Footnote 2 of the plan: “firefighters, police, corrections officers, postal service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers and those who work in the education sector”.
The third priority tier - Phase 1c - includes 65-74 year-olds and persons (of any age) with high-risk medical conditions like cancer, kidney disease, heart failure and immunocompromised conditions. Phase 1c also includes those (of any age) who work in specified industries described in Footnote 3: “transportation and logistics; waste and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing (e.g. construction), finance (e.g. bank tellers), information technology and communication, energy, legal, media, and public safety (e.g. engineers).” Footnote 3 is so broad that it includes virtually all employed persons who are not otherwise described in Footnote 2 … and all those persons have exactly the same priority or status as 65-74 year-olds and high-risk individuals.
Meanwhile, the beat goes on - 3,588 new cases (incl. 985 probables) and 185 more deaths. For the week, Alabama has the highest per capita death rate in the nation, with 585 added in the last 3 days. We also have the highest ICU occupancy rate and 3rd highest per capita hospitalization rate (updated today).
To be fair, there is also some good news in today’s report. The average case count has dropped below 4,000 per day for 3 straight weekdays, and the 7-day positivity rate (39.1%) dropped below 40% for the first time since late December. The best news of all is that current hospitalizations dropped to 2,850 (106 reporting hospitals), an average of 26.9 per hospital - below the peak of 29.65 per hospital last week.
So, where are we now? After months of battling anti-maskers, pandemic deniers and political pandering, we find ourselves at the mercy of the vaccine distribution system. Urgency seems lacking among those who are already vaccinated and running this system. Contrast Florida, whose Seniors First program has allocated 50% of its vaccines to persons aged 65 and older, vaccinating 223,000 seniors just last week alone.
Or consider Arizona, where Glendale Stadium (home of the NFL Cardinals) has opened for 24/7 drive-thru vaccinations, capable of handling 6,000 persons in one day at that one site. By comparison, ADPH was pleased to report that our State vaccinated 30,000 in one week at all sites throughout the State.
Or even West Virginia, which has vaccinated 6.6% of its population (compared to Alabama’s 1.9%, updated today). 74% of the doses West Virginia has received have been injected into the arms of its citizens - compared to just 21% in Alabama, also updated today.
Ask yourself, why? When Alabama’s case count, hospitalization rate, ICU occupancy rate and death rate are among the worst in the nation, how frustrating is it to have to settle for this announcement on the ADPH website - “There are no more appointments available at county health departments. The call center will take your contact information and add it to a waiting list.” The totals:
1/1 - 4521
1/2 - 3711
1/3 - 2476
1/4 - 2161
1/5 - 5498
1/6 - 4591
1/7 - 5046
1/8 - 5057
1/9 - 4863
1/10 - 2750
1/11 - 2100
1/12 - 3848
1/13 - 3147
1/14. - 3588