The Birmingham Times
Thousands of eligible Jefferson County residents began receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, March 29, as a new vaccination site opened at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM).
The vaccination site is a collaborative effort by the Jefferson County Department of Health, Doctor Celeste MD, Bruno Event Team, the City of Birmingham, Birmingham Airport Authority and Kaiser Aircraft Industries. The vaccination site will allow for administering up to 4,500 COVID-19 vaccinations each week over the next 60 days to eligible Jefferson County residents under the guidelines set by the Alabama Department of Public Health.
“This site is an ideal location to serve all of Jefferson County,” said Dr. Mark Wilson, Jefferson County Health Officer. “This collaborative effort will help move us more quickly toward the herd immunity needed to end this pandemic.”
The airport site joins other locations throughout the county where vaccines are being administered that include North Birmingham Recreation Center, A.H. Parker High School and Legion Field in West Birmingham; Cathedral of the Cross in East Birmingham; UAB Hospital-Highlands and the Hoover Met.
The drive-through vaccination site at the airport is by appointment only and appointments will first be offered to eligible individuals who have pre-registered through the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency’s website www.jeffcoema.org by clicking the green registration button.
Those who do not have access to the website can call the Jefferson County Vaccine Call Center Monday – Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at (205) 858-2221. People currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccine and already registered with the Jefferson County Vaccine Call Center are being prioritized for appointments at the new Birmingham Airport COVID-19 vaccination site.
Board-certified, family medicine physician Dr. Celeste Reese-Willis, and her medical team will administer first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. “We are delighted to be a part of the team helping to provide vaccines to Jefferson County and the surrounding areas,” said Dr. Celeste Reese-Willis, CEO of Doctor Celeste MD. “It is an honor and a privilege to serve the community in a time such as this during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In the coming weeks as more vaccines become available, and as community needs change, the public will have more access to the vaccine, and in this instance, self-scheduling will be available on a limited basis. Additionally, this new vaccination site is less than 10 minutes from the heart of the city.
“Ensuring the health and wellness of our community is a key priority for my administration,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “One of the biggest hurdles in administering vaccinations has been access. We’re grateful that this new site will allow more Birmingham families to be able to receive vaccines, protecting not only themselves but their loved ones as well.”
Being a responsible member of the community and a friend to its neighbors remains a top priority of the Birmingham Airport Authority. Together with Kaiser Aircraft Industries, the Birmingham airport is pleased to support and help accelerate the county’s critical health and safety efforts with the COVID-19 vaccine. Airport workers and other eligible community members received vaccinations on Friday as a test run in preparation for the site to open to the public.
“I am grateful for the partnership and collaboration across multiple organizations and agencies who have worked so hard to make this site possible as we want to do all that we can to bring more vaccination opportunities to our community,” said Ronald F. Mathieu, Birmingham Airport Authority President and CEO. “At BHM, we continue to build upon our multitiered approach of prioritizing health and safety. Vaccinations for the airport community benefits the front-line workers and their families as well as offers peace of mind for travelers when they fly BHM as they are ready.”
