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This story was updated at 5:00 p.m. on January 19 with the response from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Four Alabama lawmakers – two of whom were themselves hospitalized with COVID-19 – signed a letter saying the state’s slow deployment and inconsistent reporting could result in lower COVID-19 vaccine doses in the future.
State Senators Jim McClendon, Greg Albritton, Tom Whatley and Randy Price – all Republicans – released a letter on Tuesday titled “The COVID Vaccine Distribution Problem in Alabama,” accusing the Alabama Department of Public Health of ” having slowed down vaccine delivery and failed to accurately record its distribution efforts so far.
“Vaccine distribution in Alabama will continue to be halted until Alabama follows the rules,” the letter said. “The rule is simple: The CDC won’t allow shipments to Alabama until they know we’re using what we have on hand. Our citizens are paying a deadly price. “
The ADPH released a response Tuesday afternoon, saying the department was in “ongoing conversations” with the CDC about the number of doses administered in the state and that the state had not missed any vaccine doses.
“The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated to Alabama is based on our population and is not determined by the amount of vaccine available in the state,” ADPH said. “The number of doses remaining from previous allocations does not affect the number of doses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorizes for Alabama.”
In their letter, the senators referred to a new policy, announced last week by the CDC, whereby vaccine allocations will be prioritized to states that distribute the vaccine more quickly. But this policy was not immediate and has not yet taken effect.
Data from the CDC at the end of last week showed that Alabama had the lowest COVID vaccination rate of any state, although ADPH said it disagreed with the CDC figures. The department said it was taking steps to ensure all doses administered in the state were counted.
Alabama senators argue that the ranking could lead to reduced shipments for Alabama. Senators say the ADPH is “unable to provide” information to the CDC on the number of doses that have been received, distributed and administered to patients in the state on a daily basis. They say the more than 200 locations that distribute the vaccine should be required to report these doses promptly.
“In a nutshell, ADHD must record every administered dose in the registry so that the federal government sends us more,” the letter said. “While more than 200 sites administer doses, not all get there. And to be fair, the doctors, pharmacists, nurses who administer Covid vaccines in addition to their daily chores are already doing the work of ADPH, and blaming them for not entering doses on the registry is unproductive.
ADPH stated in its response that these questions had been answered.
“The data to answer each of the questions posed in the letter is publicly available on the ADPH COVID-19 vaccine distribution dashboard, accessible on the ADPH website (arcg.is/OrCey) and updated. day January 19. 2021, ”the ministry said. “CDC data is available on its vaccine data tracking website (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations), although the CDC has not updated Alabama news from January 15, 2021. “
This week, Alabama’s COVID vaccine dashboard, which had been updated weekly, started seeing more regular updates and now shows higher totals than the federal database.
ADHD Deputy General Counsel Dana Billingsley told AL.com in an email last week that vaccine suppliers are required to report vaccine information within 24 hours of vaccine administration , but that some suppliers “do not provide complete information”, resulting in some doses. not registered by the state.
“This problem is being addressed and corrected to ensure that all vaccine doses are counted in CDC data,” Billingsley said Friday.
Senators suggest that ADHD requires accurate and timely reporting from clinics, pharmacies and hospitals administering the injections, and that facilities that cannot meet reporting requirements “do not receive additional vaccine as long as it is that they do not comply ”.
McClendon and Price have both been hospitalized with COVID themselves, Price would need a ventilator during his recovery. Whatley said he also tested positive but did not require hospitalization.
The ministry said it was doing everything possible to administer the vaccine as quickly as possible.
“ADPH receives thousands of calls, emails and social media messages every day from people providing suggestions to speed up the immunization process,” ADPH said. “We appreciate all of the recommendations and want the public to be assured that ADHD has a formidable staff of doctors, nurses, public health experts and other health professionals who continue to work without lapses on vaccine deployment in Alabama. A vaccination plan of this magnitude is truly unprecedented, and ADHD is grateful for everyone’s continued patience as we work to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
*AL.com Journalist Sarah Whites-Koditschek contributed to this report.
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