Is The Pandemic Over In Alabama? Experts Say 'No'

MONTGOMERY, AL — Although Alabama's pandemic-related state of emergency has expired and social distancing protocols have been loosened, medical experts say COVID-19 is still a serious issue in the state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the percentage of Alabama's population that has been vaccinated is the lowest in the U.S.

"We are starting to see that trend and are very, very concerned, given the situation that we sustained, particularly in Montgomery and Mobile last summer, that we might be there again," Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases, said. "You look at some states with 70 percent, nearly 80 percent vaccine coverage, and you’re not seeing the kinds of trends that we’re talking about in some other states."

Marazzo said the trend in Alabama shows the significant possibility of another spike in COVID-19 cases as the school year approaches. "This is not predictive rocket science," she said. "This is exactly what we saw before."

As of Monday, 1.5 million Alabamians had been fully vaccinated. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the state has averaged 560 new cases of COVID-19 per day over the last week. Just two weeks ago, the state was averaging just 121 new cases per day.

"The Alabama Department of Public Health continues to monitor the COVID 19 pandemic in our state and urge all age eligible Alabamians to be vaccinated against this severe and deadly virus," ADPH Deputy health officer Dr. Karen Landers said in a statement Monday. "At this time, ADPH urges unvaccinated Alabamians to continue to follow mitigation standards to reduce the transmission of this disease. The measure needed to control this virus is more vaccinated persons. Any implementation of restrictions would be under the authority of the Governor."