HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Huntsville and Madison County health leaders are continuing to urge people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
While some people are tired of hearing about COVID-19 all the time, leaders say these conversations are not going away any time soon.
"Just to remind us that every day, there's a significant battle for life going on in our hospitals," said Crestwood Hospital CEO Dr. Pam Hudson. "Almost 100% of all ICU beds in our community are taken up with COVID, and 100% of our ICU beds are full."
The Alabama Hospital Association reports that as of August 25, the state has 54 more ICU patients than there are staffed beds in Alabama.
"In the state of Alabama, there are 665,553 cases of COVID-19," said Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Birdwell.
Experts say that while getting vaccinated doesn't fully ensure you won't get the virus, data shows that it greatly reduces the chance you'll need to be hospitalized if you do get COVID-19.
"COVID-19 vaccines were developed to provide protection against becoming seriously ill, being hospitalized or dying," said Nil Lamb of HudsonAlpha's Center for Biotech. "They continue to do an incredible job in that respect."