Updated 2-10-21 2:21 p.m.
CULLMAN, Ala. – Alabama’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, and many readers have asked who is eligible and where vaccines are available in Cullman County. Here is what we know as of Feb. 9, 2021.
WHO is eligible for a vaccine in Alabama?
People eligible for a vaccine in the state of Alabama are those recognized in Phases 1a and 1b and parts of Phase 1c of the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Vaccine Allocation Plan.
That includes:
- frontline health care workers
- nursing home residents
- law enforcement
- firefighters
- first responders
- people older than 65
- educators
- people living in congregate settings
- food and agriculture workers
- U.S. Postal Service workers
- manufacturing workers
- grocery store workers
- public transit workers
- judiciary
- clergy/ministers
- state legislators
- supreme court and appellate judges
- constitutional officers
- cabinet agency heads
View the allocation plan at www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19vaccine/assets/adph-covid19-vaccination-allocation-plan.pdf.
WHERE in Cullman County can an eligible person receive a vaccine? (Please note there is a limited supply of vaccine statewide.)
- Cullman Regional
Sign up on the waiting list for the hospital’s Community COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic by visiting https://cullmanregional.com/coronavirus-2/community-covid-19-vaccination-clinics/.
According to Cullman Regional Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations Lindsey Dossey, the hospital schedules vaccine appoints based on a weekly allocation of “approximately 1,950 that we hope we get.”
She said the waiting list has a total of about 10,000 names. Minus the 1,000 who signed up who are from “significantly outside our area,” approximately 3,500 are older than 75 and have already been contacted.
Approximately 4,000 are older than 65, and the hospital is in the process of contacting them. “We’ve called at least 1,500 of those to schedule or they have already received their vaccine. We have approximately 3,500 left on the list; approximately 200 of those have either been scheduled as essential employees or are scheduled, leaving approximately 3,200 (some of which will be essential employees that we are working to get scheduled ASAP),” Dossey said.
Cullman Regional has administered approximately 8,000 total doses of the vaccine. “Some are first doses, but some are first and second doses.”
Said Dossey, “We’re administering based on the ADPH Allocation guidelines. We are moving through our list based on date of birth as that is how the allocation list has been segmented by the State Department of Health, not by who signed up first. We are currently administering to Phase 1b, as well as community members over the age of 65. We’ve worked with local school systems and community college- public and private- as well as several childcare facilities that have reached out regarding vaccinations. We are working with all entities deemed ‘essential’ to get their team members scheduled as quickly as possible.
“The best and fastest way for employers in the essential category to get their teams scheduled is to assign one point person for their business. That person should contact Cullman Regional Occupational Health Manager Amanda Satterfield via email at amanda.satterfield@cullmanregional.com or get additional information by phone by calling 256-735-5530.
“Again, we want to assure the community members we serve that we are working as quickly as possible to get everyone in for a vaccine that wants one as quickly as possible,” said Dossey. “We understand the process seems long and daunting, but we want to get people vaccinated as quickly as they want to be vaccinated, but also as safely as possible. We understand the stress of waiting for a call can seem overwhelming; therefore, we appreciate everyone’s patience with this process.”
- Cullman County Health Department
The Cullman County Health Department offers appointment-only vaccinations but is booked through the month of February with appointments for people receiving second doses.
The health department will begin taking appointments for first doses again March 1.
It is located at 601 Logan Ave. SW in Cullman.
Other providers enrolled with the ADPH to administer vaccine* are:
- Cullman Family Practice, 408 Clark St. NE, Cullman
- Southview Medical Clinic, 222 Arkadelphia Road NE, Hanceville
- ABC Family Medicine, 24 County Road 262, Hanceville
*These providers are enrolled, but that does not mean they have received vaccine allocations from the ADPH, as vaccine supply remains limited statewide.
Appointments with enrolled providers and the Cullman County Health Department can be made in the COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility Check and Scheduling Portal at www.alcovidvaccine.gov/. As of Tuesday evening, Feb. 9, no appointments were available.
Please note!
If you have had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, you are only eligible to receive the vaccine if:
- You were NOT hospitalized for COVID treatment.
- You did NOT receive convalescent plasma treatment for COVID.
- You did NOT receive a monoclonal antibody infusion treatment for COVID.
Anyone who had COVID in the past 90 days and had any of the above treatment must wait 90 days before receiving the vaccine.
See more details at https://bit.ly/3iVJwXK.
Some readers have asked if they can go to different counties to obtain a vaccine. The ADPH’s Dr. Karen Landers said, “ADPH does not restrict COVID-19 vaccination by county of residence, but asks that persons return to the same site where they were vaccinated to receive the second dose.”
Vaccines at Walmart, Sam’s Club
Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines through the U.S. Federal Retail Pharmacy Program Feb. 12, 2021, according to a media release from the company. Multiple Walmart and Sam’s Club locations in Alabama are included in the program, although none in Cullman County. Read more at www.cullmantribune.com/2021/02/09/walmart-announces-list-of-stores-where-eligible-alabamians-can-get-covid-19-vaccine.
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