By Zach Hester, Reporter • zach@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Health (ADPH) will hold a drive-thru clinic to administer COVID-19 vaccines to the approved groups next week.

The clinic will be held on Tuesday, January 19 at the Northeast Alabama Agri-Business Center in Rainsville. The groups able to receive the vaccine at this time will be healthcare workers and public safety first responders, ad well as citizens over the age of 75, per the orders from Governor Kay Ivey last Friday.

According Deputy Director Michael Posey of the DeKalb County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (EMA), ADPH plans to return to DeKalb County on a monthly basis until all the population has had an opportunity to receive the vaccine or until it becomes available at local pharmacies and physician offices. 

According to information provided by ADPH, this clinic will be a first come, first served basis until supplies have been exhausted. There will be a 15 to 30 minute wait time following injection to monitor any adverse reactions, which is a precaution with all vaccines.

The DeKalb County Health Department will also begin to schedule appointments for the same populations covered under Gov. Ivey's orders beginning on January 18 by calling (256) 845-8710.

As of Monday, January 11, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported 87,138 administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna. Alabama was allocated more than 250,000 doses of the vaccine, which excludes allocations to Federal programs administered in the State of Alabama.

At the time of press, DeKalb County was rated as a "moderate" risk for spread of COVID-19. As of Tuesday afternoon, the county had reported almost 7,500 total cases.

To schedule your vaccination for COVID-19 outside of this clinic, please contact ADPH at 1 (855) 566-5333. Please be patient at this time and continue calling if you receive a busy signal.