HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — "We have a virus dividing us right now," said Dr. Karen Landers with the Alabama Department of Public Health. "We have ways to defeat this virus right now."
North Alabama health leaders expressed their frustrations Wednesday over the state's overfilling hospitals and low vaccination rates during a Huntsville-Madison County COVID-19 briefing.
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The Alabama Hospital Association on Wednesday confirmed to WZDX that there are -29 available ICU beds available in the state. This means every single normal ICU bed across the state is full and hospitals are creating additional space for urgent patients.
"Everyone has suffered in one way or another in the COVID pandemic," said Landers. "The data for masking and preventative measures, that data is on our side, and we're just trying to help people."
Landers says rather than listening to misinformation on social media, listen to the doctors and experts who have dedicated their lives to medicine. She continued to remind Alabamians that the vaccine is both safe and effective.
"I took the vaccine myself as early as I could," she said. "Why would I give it to my own family, or why would I take it myself if I thought it was harmful?"
As of August 18, the state's 7-day average of positive COVID tests is at 23.8%, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. The percent of fully vaccinated Alabamians is at 35.7%.