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State health official Dr Scott Harris said the increase in COVID-19 cases in Alabama could be reversed and called on people to refrain from their usual Thanksgiving gatherings to avoid what could be a dire situation as the year draws to a close.
Harris and Dr. Mary McIntyre, chief medical officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, held a press conference today to urge caution as the holiday season arrives with coronavirus cases rising faster than at any time since the start of the pandemic more than eight months ago.
“There is nothing irreversible,” said Harris. “And the people of Alabama have the capacity to stop that within the next two weeks if they can just take responsibility and do what they’re supposed to do. I’d say we’re really scared of what December is going to look like from what we’re seeing right now. But this is not inevitable. It is not necessary to continue this momentum.
“And now is the time to make a difference. Now is the time to take responsibility. Stay at home. Stay away from others who are vulnerable. If you must go out, be sure to do everything possible to ensure your safety and the safety of others. We don’t have to have a terrible December, but I’m worried what we’re going to see.
Harris also provided an update on the outlook for COVID-19 vaccines. He said first doses should still be available by mid-December, with healthcare workers, first responders and those most at risk of serious illness among those who will be the first in line for vaccinations. , which will be in limited quantities. initially. The vaccines are expected to be widely available next year.
Pfizer on Friday applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for its vaccine. Harris said the FDA is expected to complete its review in two to three weeks. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will still need to review the vaccine and make its recommendation.
“But while they’re doing that, the vaccine will already be on its way to Alabama by then,” Harris said.
Alabama plans to finalize its vaccine distribution and administration plan on Dec. 7, Harris said.
“We don’t think we’ll have a vaccine on Dec. 7,” Harris said. “But it could be two or three days after that. But we’re definitely thinking about mid-December.
Harris said he expects the vaccine developed by Moderna to arrive soon after that from Pfizer.
A third vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca, has been very effective in late stage trials, according to the company, according to the Associated Press.
But in the meantime, Harris and McIntyre have said it’s important for people to avoid spreading the virus at family gatherings that traditionally involve older relatives and others at much higher risk for serious illness.
“If we want to live to see another Thanksgiving, and I do, then that may mean rolling back this Thanksgiving and limiting the number of people and some of the things that we do,” McIntyre said. “Now is not the time to go out for Black Friday shopping.”
McIntyre said she normally has 15-20 family members in her house on Thanksgiving Day, but said that would be limited to seven this year, with just one other household included. She said she would do all the serving, rather than having the serving dishes. She urged people to consider using disposable plates and utensils and other guidelines for gatherings recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.
About 234,000 people in Alabama have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. More than 3,400 died, a death rate of about 1.5%. Harris said it was 15 times the death rate from the flu.
Harris also said the death rate for people 75 and older was much higher, close to 20%.
“When we think of a holiday situation and it’s Thanksgiving and you’ve got several generations there and you have parents and grandparents, you’re going to have people there who just aren’t going to. do well if they are infected. . “
Related: 1 in 3 patients at Decatur hospital has COVID-19; northern Alabama cases are skyrocketing.
Harris said Alabama was tentatively on line to initially receive about 112,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, although he said that could change. He said states would receive it on a per capita basis.
Harris said the length of protection provided by the new vaccines is still unknown.
“It’s certainly reasonable for it to be effective for months and months,” Harris said. “We don’t know how much longer. There are some vaccines, such as the measles vaccine, in which two doses will protect you for life in most cases. There are certainly other vaccines, consider the pertussis vaccine or the tetanus vaccine, for which you need to be given booster doses from time to time.
“Compare that to the flu shot, where due to mutations and the length of immunity you need a flu shot every year. So we just don’t know how long the exposure will be in this particular case. “
The first vaccines available will require two injections three to four weeks apart.
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