By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
Alabama Regional Medical Services (ARMS) will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday March 13 at its North Birmingham Clinic, said Christopher Mosley, Director of Marketing, Outreach and Public Affairs for ARMS. It will be appointment only.
“We have been fortunate to receive 400 guaranteed doses from the Jefferson County Department of Health, with that said, 400 doses means you can only do 200 people,” said Mosley, about the vaccines which are given in two doses. “This will be our first COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the North Birmingham community.”
Mosley was a guest speaker during a teletown hall virtual meeting this week hosted by Birmingham City Council President William Parker and moderated by Lindsey Harris, president of the Alabama State Nurses Association. Yocunda Clayton, M.D., Medical Director of ARMS, was also a guest speaker.
The meeting was held on the City Council’s Facebook page.
Asked about the difficulty of getting an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccination at sites across the city, Mosley said, “I would attribute the problem to the reduced supply of vaccine in this state [especially] when you talk about 240,000 vaccines you have to distribute across all 67 counties in Alabama.”
Clayton urged residents to remain vigilant even though COVID-19 numbers aren’t as high and vaccines are becoming available. “We need people to wear their masks, social distance and wash their hands,” she said. “. . . we still want to be cautious because we haven’t vaccinated enough individuals as of yet.”
In Jefferson County, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medicine, Veteran Affairs, Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, and Cahaba Medical Care are offering vaccines, said Mosley.
Once a person receives their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, they are automatically given an appointment for their second dose at the same location, Clayton said.
Parker, who has advocated for using places like rec centers as well as Legion Field for COVID-19 vaccination sites, said the ARMS Clinic in North Birmingham at 2817 30th Avenue North is a start.
“It’s critical that vaccines are distributed as quickly and as equitably as possible. “We want to make sure everyone understands this is going to be an ongoing effort as we continue to educate the community and move forward in the next couple of months,” he said.
