Severe weather across the South leads to disruption in vaccine rollout
By
Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Mar 29, 2021 2:34 PM EDT
Severe weather is causing more disruptions at vaccine clinics in Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Severe weather across the South has disrupted life for millions, and for many people has impacted their ability to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as mass vaccination sites faced disturbances in their schedule.
Alabama's most populous county, Jefferson County, faced disruptions in its vaccination schedule after deadly tornadoes trekked through the state on Thursday. Five of the six total fatalities from the day were reported near Birmingham, Alabama.
Two weeks ago, a drive-thru was scheduled in the county for vaccinations, but it ran into some trouble with severe weather threats.
"Last week we had a drive-thru scheduled and obviously there were tornado warnings [and] bad weather last week," Julie Cobb, a public health nurse for Jefferson County, told AccuWeather's Emmy Victor a week ago.
Drive-thru vaccinations were not scheduled for this past week due to spring break, so nurses used their time away from the drive-thru testing sites to vaccinate residents of senior living facilities. Due to the severe weather and deadly tornadoes, however, the nurses ended up not going to one of the sites that they originally planned to.
After a slew of tornadoes struck the Southern U.S., vaccinations in Jefferson County, Alabama, faced some delays. (Jefferson County Department of Health)
"We're actually on opposite ends of the county, so the drive time would've been significant between the sites," Cobb said. "So we're able to get those done in the morning and get our team safely back in before any weather threat."
Despite the county battling two rounds of severe weather in a span of less than a week, residents are still eager to line up for their turn to get vaccinated.
"Individuals are so excited to get their vaccine," Cobb said. "They've waited, they've waited, so you know they are very understanding, they are very patient, they're just trilled that we're giving them the opportunity."
"So if we do have to adjust it for safety, they have no problem with that," she said.
While Jefferson County temporarily halted vaccination drive-thrus for spring break, seniors living in housing facilities were able to get the vaccine. (Jefferson County Department of Health)
For residents who now need to reschedule their appointment, rescheduling varies by vaccination site.
For a person going to get their second dose, a number to call for more information can be found on the back of their vaccination card. Most clinics will email or call individuals registered to receive a shot or post on social media in the event of severe weather.
Reporting by Emmy Victor
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News / Severe Weather
Severe weather across the South leads to disruption in vaccine rollout
By Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Mar 29, 2021 2:34 PM EDT
Severe weather is causing more disruptions at vaccine clinics in Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Severe weather across the South has disrupted life for millions, and for many people has impacted their ability to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as mass vaccination sites faced disturbances in their schedule.
Alabama's most populous county, Jefferson County, faced disruptions in its vaccination schedule after deadly tornadoes trekked through the state on Thursday. Five of the six total fatalities from the day were reported near Birmingham, Alabama.
Two weeks ago, a drive-thru was scheduled in the county for vaccinations, but it ran into some trouble with severe weather threats.
"Last week we had a drive-thru scheduled and obviously there were tornado warnings [and] bad weather last week," Julie Cobb, a public health nurse for Jefferson County, told AccuWeather's Emmy Victor a week ago.
Drive-thru vaccinations were not scheduled for this past week due to spring break, so nurses used their time away from the drive-thru testing sites to vaccinate residents of senior living facilities. Due to the severe weather and deadly tornadoes, however, the nurses ended up not going to one of the sites that they originally planned to.
After a slew of tornadoes struck the Southern U.S., vaccinations in Jefferson County, Alabama, faced some delays. (Jefferson County Department of Health)
"We're actually on opposite ends of the county, so the drive time would've been significant between the sites," Cobb said. "So we're able to get those done in the morning and get our team safely back in before any weather threat."
Despite the county battling two rounds of severe weather in a span of less than a week, residents are still eager to line up for their turn to get vaccinated.
"Individuals are so excited to get their vaccine," Cobb said. "They've waited, they've waited, so you know they are very understanding, they are very patient, they're just trilled that we're giving them the opportunity."
"So if we do have to adjust it for safety, they have no problem with that," she said.
While Jefferson County temporarily halted vaccination drive-thrus for spring break, seniors living in housing facilities were able to get the vaccine. (Jefferson County Department of Health)
For residents who now need to reschedule their appointment, rescheduling varies by vaccination site.
For a person going to get their second dose, a number to call for more information can be found on the back of their vaccination card. Most clinics will email or call individuals registered to receive a shot or post on social media in the event of severe weather.
Related:
Reporting by Emmy Victor
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo