In the state’s race to administer Covid-19 vaccines to residents, Alabama has consistently followed suit.
Alabama administered 10,013 doses per 100,000 people as of Tuesday, the lowest rate among states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, it ranked among the highest U.S. coronavirus testing rates in the past month, at 29.1%, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
There are several factors at play, say health officials and specialists. Alabama’s public health system has run out of years of poor funding, leaving some counties with health departments with little or no personality. Administrative and technological problems, including inadequate appointment programs and obsolete programs, have reduced the effort.
Alabama’s hotline for vaccine appointments initially fell short, with insufficient lines to meet demand, said Dr. Karen Landers, a district medical officer in Alabama’s public health department. A dating website was only posted last week. Last month, a booking error caused people to show up for scheduled appointments at a vaccination event in the Birmingham area, only to find that it was listed by mistake and that no one was there.
A large portion of Alabama’s population lives in rural areas with limited health services. Since 2009, seven rural hospitals have closed in the state, part of a wider wave of closures driven by factors such as population loss and poverty among patient populations, according to the Cecil Health Services Center G. Sheps of the University of North Carolina.