MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Vaccines for COVID-19 are now widely available in Alabama, but the problem is some people remain hesitant to take it, State Health Officer Scott Harris said Friday.
After months of struggling with getting an adequate supply into the state, Harris said health officials are now trying to battle some people’s reluctance to sign up for doses. While people can be reluctant to take the vaccine for a variety of reasons, one of them is the false belief that the vaccine is more dangerous than the virus, he said.
“If you can identify one single issue that is a problem, it’s that there are people who are just convinced that the vaccine is somehow more dangerous than the disease. That’s a false belief we have to try to come back as often as we can. It’s simply not true,” Harris told reporters.
Nearly one-third of the Alabama population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, that figure ranks Alabama third last in the nation ahead of Mississippi and Louisiana, and Alabama is last nationally in its overall rate of vaccination. New Hampshire is the highest with 60% of the population receiving one dose.
He said health officials are conducting media campaigns and asking doctors to contact their patients about the benefits of getting vaccinated.