The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stepping in to provide assistance to Alabama in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases statewide.
ADPH has conducted testing, case investigation, and contact tracing since the beginning of the pandemic. As the state is experiencing widespread community transmission, ADPH has worked to expand COVID-19 testing capabilities with drive-in sites throughout the state.
Per ADPH’s request, a five-member team of CDC professionals — epidemiologist, a medical epidemiologist, an epidemiologist/data analyst, a risk communicator, and an informatics/visualization specialist — will be assisting the department from June 24 through July 3.
The CDC deployment team will help staff with streamlining COVID-19 reporting, developing county-level indicators for use by local officials, recommending interventions based on the analysis, and assisting with development and review of outreach and communication messages to the public.
“The expertise of these public health professionals will further our staff’s abilities to assess our processes and will help guide us in our efforts to protect the public during this pandemic,” explained State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “We are grateful for the partnerships we have with CDC and other authorities at the local, state, and federal levels.”
