From The Tribune staff reports
An online portal is now available for Alabamians to check their eligibility and schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Launched by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), the online portal asks individuals to answer a series of questions to determine their eligibility. If eligible, individuals can make their appointments to receive a vaccine from the portal.
The easy-to-navigate portal also provides up-to-date information about additional drive-through and walk-in clinics being offered, according to a press release from ADPH. The portal can be accessed at https://www.alcovidvaccine.gov/
By entering information in the portal, individuals can confirm their eligibility, select a county where they intend to schedule their vaccination. Information about the vaccine product itself and what to expect is also provided.
ADPH says the portal also provides practical information for the people scheduled, such as what they should bring, mask requirements, and a vaccine fact sheet.
The demand for vaccine continues to greatly exceed supply as Alabama has more than 326,000 healthcare workers and nearly 350,000 people who now qualify for a vaccine because they are 75 years of age or older. On Feb. 8, the addition of people 65 or older and frontline critical workers will add more than 1 million more people that are eligible to receive a vaccine.
Based on current supply and expectations for shipments for the next month, ADPH believes that public health clinics will have to spend February heavily focused on providing second doses for the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the news release, appointments may not be available immediately, as the limitation of appointments is directly related to the amount of vaccine provided by the federal government.
If supply of vaccine products from the federal government increases, ADPH expects that access to appointments for priority groups will increase as well. Individuals are encouraged to visit drive-through and walk-in clinics, or other vaccine providers, if appointments are not currently available at a county health department location.
Alabama’s COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Plan, which can be viewed by clicking a box on the portal, was developed by working with stakeholders and following guidance provided by the federal government. For general information about COVID-19, the COVID-19 Information Hotline number is 1-800-270-7268.
