MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday urged people to be patient amid the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, but to take the vaccine as soon as it is available to them.
A state hotline has been overwhelmed with calls from people seeking appointments for the shots next week when the state begins making them available to people over 75.
The governor said the state is “working to get vaccine in the arms of people as soon as the supplies come in.”
“I just want to encourage our people to be patient, stay calm and you’ll get your shot,” Ivey said Tuesday. “I want to encourage everybody to get in line — and be patient as you wait.”
Ivey addressed reporters after receiving her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Baptist South Hospital. The governor, as public officials have done in other states, took the vaccine to demonstrate its safety.