Gov. Kay Ivey posted a video on Twitter, interviewing state Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris to ask questions related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Only 34% of Alabama’s population is fully vaccinated, which is the lowest in the nation reported the Associated Press. There has been an increase in the vaccination rate recently, but it’s unknown if it will help stem the flood of new cases since it takes weeks for a newly vaccinated person to be fully protected.
Kay Ivey stated on Twitter, “In honor of #ImmunizationAwarenessMonth, I sat down with State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris to ask some #COVID19 questions related to vaccine hesitancy.”
Ivey has come under fire for not promoting shot incentives more heavily. Despite Ivey’s refusal to offer incentives to the public, the state prison system is offering $5 in commissary credits for inmates who get vaccinated. The University of Alabama is giving $20 credit on a student debit card to any student who proves they are vaccinated by Aug. 28. Additionally, the Montgomery-area government, public schools, and the state health department are providing free state fair tickets to people who get fully vaccinated in the capital.
In an opinion piece published Tuesday by The Washington Post, Ivey defended her approach.
“There are those who believe that government should mandate the vaccine or that we should bribe people to take it. That’s not going to happen in my state, no matter how many times the media ask me,” Ivey wrote.
The Alabama Department of Health is also sponsoring a TikTok contest to encourage younger people to get vaccinated.
