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State health official Dr Scott Harris provided a weekly update on the COVID-19 pandemic and answered questions this morning at the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Harris said the state’s allocation of monoclonal antibodies, which he says are very effective in preventing serious illness from the virus, is reduced to about 70% of the amount requested by providers.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has imposed the limits. Harris said the supply restriction is expected to end in October. Previously, the availability of monoclonal antibodies was not limited, Harris said.
“We actually learned last week from HHS that Alabama was going to be on an allocation in terms of how much antibody we can order,” Harris said. “Suppliers in our state have been told that they are likely to get about 70% of the supply of monoclonal antibodies they request.
“We had no limitations until last week. But several states in the southeastern United States, states with low vaccination rates, are experiencing real surges and demand for monoclonal products. So that led to this temporary allocation process. They tell us it will be over in October. I don’t know exactly how long this will last, whether it’s early October or late October.
Harris said about 228 providers administered monoclonal antibodies.
Harris said good candidates for treatment are usually people at high risk for serious illness or death due to their age or chronic health conditions. He urged people to talk to their doctors about it.
“Please speak to your doctor or provider if you’ve been exposed to COVID as a close contact or have COVID to see if you qualify for a monoclonal antibody product,” Harris said. “These are for people who are at risk of getting sick, but who are not yet sick enough to be hospitalized. And you really have to do them quickly. We want to do them as quickly as possible, but always within 10 days of the onset of your illness. “
Related: Who Can Get Monoclonal Antibody Treatment For COVID? Montgomery’s doctor explains
Harris gave the latest news on the Alabama outbreak that began in early July and which officials say is fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant and the state’s low vaccination rate.
Harris spoke of the sharp increase in reported cases of COVID in public schools from a year ago, the state’s shortage of intensive care beds and a leveling out of what had been a steady increase in number of people hospitalized with COVID.
The update comes a day after President Joe Biden announced sweeping mandates to get more people vaccinated. Governor Kay Ivey and others have spoken out against Biden’s decision.
When asked about Biden’s tenure, Harris declined to comment. The president’s rules require employers with more than 100 employees to require weekly vaccinations or tests for their workers, a mandate that will cover about 80 million Americans, the Associated Press reported. About 17 million workers in healthcare facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid will need to be fully immunized, the AP reported.
“The politics of the matter, I am not in a position to speak to,” said Harris. “I would just say that our goal is to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible. This is the best way out.
Harris said ADPH is still reviewing Biden’s guidelines to see how the agency would be affected. For example, he said ADHD has federal contractors who inspect health facilities. Biden’s executive order requires vaccination of federal employees and contractors hired by the federal government.
“We are still studying what this means for our agency,” said Harris. “We have federal contractors inspecting health facilities, for example. We have the home health agency that works in public health. So we’re still not quite sure what this means for us. We are still trying to figure this out.
“But the bottom line is that we just want everyone to be vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
Other topics Harris covers:
Schools
Alabama’s public school systems have reported about 8,400 cases of COVID-19 among students over the past week. Harris said it was a 605% increase from the same week last year.
Harris reiterated ADPH’s position in favor of universal masking in K-12 schools. About 90% of schools in Alabama now require masks. Harris said it was good policy to help children stay in classrooms for face-to-face instruction.
“I know it’s not without controversy,” Harris said. “I know there is a lot of debate about this. But it is clearly a very simple and straightforward way to help reduce infections in our schools. “
Harris also encouraged the vaccination of children 12 years of age and older.
Hospitals
Harris said hospitals reported having 2,667 patients with confirmed cases of COVID, a slight decrease after weeks of rising numbers. He said 53 are pediatric patients. The shortage of intensive care beds is a crisis, Harris said.
“Yesterday there were about 60 more patients needing intensive care than we have from intensive care beds in the state,” Harris said. “So that’s 60 patients who are receiving intensive care because they are seriously ill and yet do not have an intensive care bed.”
Deaths and vaccinations
Harris said there have been 145 known deaths since April 1 among those fully vaccinated. He said about 90% of all deaths occur in people who are not fully vaccinated.
“There is a 9: 1 increased risk of death if you are not vaccinated, which is very consistent with what we know about the effectiveness of the vaccine,” Harris said. “Of all people in the state who are fully vaccinated, 0.01% died from a breakthrough infection.”
Harris said about 2.36 million Alabamians have received one or more doses of a vaccine, including 1.85 million who are fully vaccinated. He said Alabama ranks in the bottom two for the percentage of people fully vaccinated, but ahead of eight other states for the percentage of people who have received at least one injection.
Harris said the ADHD, working with the Bruno Event team and colleges, will have vaccines and tests available on most college campuses across the state on Saturday, an initiative announced last week on the occasion of the start of the football season.
This story will be updated after Harris’ briefing.
Related: Ivey: Biden’s ‘Outrageous Overkill’ COVID Mandates ‘Missed the Target’
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Biden’s new COVID mandates: what will it mean for the unvaccinated? Vaccinated?
Almost All Alabama Schools Need Masks As COVID Cases Rise
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