Name: Alabama's next Pfizer vaccine shipment cut by 40% amid continued COVID-19 spread
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Alabama's next Pfizer vaccine shipment cut by 40% amid continued COVID-19 spread

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Montgomery AdvertiserView CommentsAlabama will receive markedly less Pfizer vaccine in its second federal allotment, with state officials informed Thursday they would receive only 29,250 of the 48,750 doses they expected.The Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday the allotment would be cut and provided additional dosage information on Friday.&nbsp;"This decrease will not affect persons who are receiving the Pfizer product for their first dose, as their second doses have been already allocated," the department said in a news release on Friday.ADPH said nearly 5,000 of the state's first 41,000 Pfizer doses had been distributed by Friday. Hospitals around the state this week received their first shipments and ramped up inoculations of front-line workers.&nbsp;More:Alabama still expects to receive a little over 84,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, if it receives full authorization as expected.&nbsp;Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said Friday much of the reduced 2nd Pfizer shipment is already allotted for nursing home vaccinations.&nbsp;"There will be relatively little Pfizer vaccine available to hospitals after this week, for at least a couple of weeks," Williamson said. "However, hospitals and others will be getting the Moderna vaccine to vaccinate the same population. Hopefully, the combination of Pfizer vaccine that hasn't been given plus the new Moderna vaccine will allow the target population to continue to get vaccinated."Despite the optimism of the vaccine roll-out this week, The state reported 4,966 new confirmed and probable cases, in addition 382 cases from early December that had been backlogged.&nbsp;"Today was just an awful day," Williamson said."&nbsp;There's no other way to describe it. Even if you throw out the 382 cases that came from maybe the week before, we still have 4,966 new cases today. That's far and away the most ever. ... What I'm seeing is if you extrapolate those diagnoses into hospitalizations, you're looking at increasing rates of hospitalizations probably through the end of the year. Then, depending on how badly Christmas goes, there is a projection that has us with over 3,500 people in the hospital in January. At this point, I can't get my head around what that would actually look like. It would be in a place we've never, never been before."Friday's seven-day average of 3,844 new cases is more than double the peak of the state's last surge in July&nbsp;— a seven day average of 1,917 on July 19&nbsp;– as hospitalizations continue to climb.&nbsp;Just under 2,500 people were hospitalized in Alabama for COVID-19 on Friday, another record high as hospitals continue to struggle with staffing.&nbsp;The vaccine roll-out is bittersweet as Alabama's situation worsens.&nbsp;"I'm seriously torn. I am obviously excited by the prospect of this pandemic ending. But what I fear is that we are seeing what I'll call a false dawn," Williamson said. "People are euphoric over the vaccine rolling out and are taking that as a signal that the corner has been turned. As&nbsp;a result, they're behaving in a way that is absolutely contrary to what we need for them to do in order to keep this under control. What I'm really worried about are family gatherings between now and Christmas, and New Year's parties. I'm worried about gatherings for Christmas Eve services.&nbsp; I worry about super-spreader events. I'm excited about the vaccine but right now I'm more worried, frankly, about the immediate path on which we're on."Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Melissa Brown&nbsp;at 334-240-0132&nbsp;or mabrown@gannett.com.View Comments

Montgomery AdvertiserView CommentsAlabama will receive markedly less Pfizer vaccine in its second federal allotment, with state officials informed Thursday they would receive only 29,250 of the 48,750 doses they expected.The Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday the allotment would be cut and provided additional dosage information on Friday.&nbsp;"This decrease will not affect persons who are receiving the Pfizer product for their first dose, as their second doses have been already allocated," the department said in a news release on Friday.ADPH said nearly 5,000 of the...

Alabama's next Pfizer vaccine shipment cut by 40% amid continued COVID-19 spread

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