MONTGOMERY, Ala — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey received her first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, December 21.
State Health Officer Scott Harris said he was thankful Gov. Ivey was willing to publicly get the vaccine.
“We need people to understand that we’re not just telling people to do it, we’re willing to do it ourselves.” Harris said.
Harris said the Alabama Department of Health believes the vaccine is safe for the public, but we must provide it to healthcare and frontline workers before making it available.
“Please be patient, there’s still not nearly enough vaccine to go around,” Harris said. “We’ve got enough for shot one for about 11 or 12% of our healthcare workers alone, we’ve still got a ways to go before we can get everybody else.”
Harris stressed that the vaccine is believed to be safe and effective.
“We believe that it is a safe and effective vaccine," Harris said. "We have analyzed as much as we can about the data and believe that it’s appropriate for people to use.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a plethora of information on how to protect yourself and other from the coronavirus.
The virus can easily spread from person to person, so the CDC recommends you stay at least 6-feet apart from people not in your household. The virus is spread through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breaths or talks, according to the CDC. Because of this, the CDC recommends you wear a cloth facemask when around others and in public.
Additionally, the CDC recommends that you frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Symptoms to look out for include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, a sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.
Click here to find more COVID-19 information from the CDC.
If you suspect you have the coronavirus, you should seek out testing and self-quarantine.
Click here to find more COVID-19 information from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
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