A week after sitting at 91 COVID hospitalizations, EAMC saw its COVID census continue to decline today, recording 71 total hospitalizations between the Opelika and Valley campuses. The number of COVID hospitalizations across Alabama has also continued a mostly downward trend, settling in at 2,408 today after being as high as 3,084 on January 11.
“We continue to be encouraged by the reduction in hospitalizations,” stated John Atkinson, EAMC spokesman. “We hope individuals are also encouraged and will keep up the momentum by following COVID protocols and getting the vaccine as it becomes available to them. That’s our pathway to the normalcy we all want.”
VACCINE DISTRIBUTION UPDATE (ADPH graph attached)
While COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decrease locally and statewide, COVID vaccinations continue to rise in both areas. “We have been ramping up incrementally since the start and are now to the point of giving about 2,000 doses a week,” Atkinson said. “We fully expect to increase that number in the coming days and are pleased to see that some non-EAMC locations are coming online very soon.”
Across Alabama, the release of the Moderna vaccine has helped allow vaccinations to increase because it does not require the same sub-zero temperatures as the Pfizer vaccine. “The vaccine graph produced by ADPH shows about 74,000 doses have been given in the first five days of their current weekly graph—compared to 58,000 doses total last week—and two-thirds of them are Moderna,” said Atkinson. “I think you will continue to see vaccine numbers climb substantially in the weeks and months ahead.”
Regarding the vaccines being offered to additional age groups or other groups within a certain phase, EAMC will release that information as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.