Alabama COVID vaccine: How one group is addressing rural access tuscaloosanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tuscaloosanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When will it be available? Is it safe?
Many of his patients are older and have chronic medical conditions that should technically make them a high priority to receive the vaccine.
But supply in the state is still limited. As of Feb. 23, about 12% of the population had received the first dose of the vaccine, according to data from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. There are 288,486 available vaccine doses in Alabama and close to 4.5 million people in the state have not been vaccinated.
The problem is compounded in rural areas where healthcare resources are strained making it more difficult to store, distribute and track vaccinations. Broughton, who divides his time working at the Monroe County Hospital and as the Rural Health Medical Program’s chief medical officer, functions at the center of this challenge. The organization operates a mobile health unit and eight rural health centers across western Alabama, including the Monroeville Health Center, where Broughton is bas