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Alabama’s COVID-19 vaccination rate continued its upward trajectory this week, and each of the state’s 67 counties has seen at least a slight increase recently, with some having almost quintupled since July 15.
According to data from the Alabama Department of Public Health, the state’s vaccination rate has more than doubled since mid-July. The state administered on average more than 12,200 doses of vaccine per day on August 1, compared to less than 5,400 per day on July 15.
[Can’t see the chart? Click here.]
This increase in vaccinations was prompted by thousands of Alabamians who will be getting vaccinated for the first time in recent weeks. More than two-thirds of the new doses given here since July 15 were a first dose.
Alabama’s overall vaccination rate remains low – it’s still tied for last in the country for the percentage of residents fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But if the state wants to make progress towards full immunization, it will start with the first doses. Alabama is fifth from the bottom for the percentage of the population with at least one dose, ahead of Mississippi, Louisiana, Idaho and Wyoming.
And CDC data shows that the number of people receiving the first doses in Alabama continues to increase.
[Can’t see the chart? Click here.]
The two most common vaccines available in Alabama both require two doses, several weeks apart. If this trend continues, Alabama is expected to start seeing an increase in the full vaccination rate over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, every county in the state has seen an increase in the 7-day average for new people with at least one dose since July 15. Some saw marginal increases – Montgomery County saw only a 2% increase, the smallest increase in Alabama.
But most have seen substantial increases.
[Can’t see the map? Click here.]
Cleburne County, in northeast Alabama, saw the biggest increase.
The rate of first vaccines there has increased by almost 400%, although the rate is initially low. By mid-July, only two people per day in Cleburne County were starting a series of vaccines. Now that number is around 13 people per day. Several rural counties across Alabama have seen similar increases, having started with very low rates.
Covington, Winston, Hale, Choctaw and Franklin counties have all seen a more than 300% increase in the first jab rate since July 15.
Several of Alabama’s large counties also experienced large increases. Mobile and Baldwin counties, which were at the heart of Alabama’s latest coronavirus wave, each more than tripled the number of first jabs administered each day. Jefferson County, home of Birmingham, and Madison County, home of Huntsville, each more than doubled their first jab rates.
You can see how each county’s per capita vaccination rate has changed since July 15 by looking for a county in the table below.
[Can’t see the chart? Click here.]
Choctaw County, near Mississippi, currently vaccinates the most people per capita per day. Choctaw sees an average of 36 new vaccines per 10,000 people per day.
Each of the eight counties with the highest 7-day first strike rate per 10,000 residents is in southern Alabama. Outside of Choctaw, these are Clarke, Wilcox, Baldwin, Hale, Covington, Marengo and Mobile.
You can see the full and partial vaccination rates, as well as the current per capita vaccination rate for each county on the map below.
[Can’t see the map? Click here.]
Do you have an idea for an Alabama data story? Email Ramsey Archibald at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more stories about Alabama data here.
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