Former governor Robert Bentley among first physicians to receive COVID-19 vaccines
Former Alabama Governor Robert Bentley announced he has received a Covid-19 vaccination Friday. Bentley made the announcement on his social media pages. On Twitter, Bentley stated, “First dose is done! I’m so grateful to receive the COVID vaccine today. I appreciate the scientists, researchers and leaders who have worked so hard to deliver a safe and effective vaccine. Praying we will soon see an end to this pandemic.” First dose is done! I’m so grateful to receive the COVID vaccine today. I appreciate the scientists, researchers and leaders who have worked so hard to deliver a safe and effective vaccine. Praying we will soon see an end to this pandemic. pic.twitter.com/9MhToHBcDA — Governor Robert Bentley (@GovRBentley) December 18, 2020 Bentley is a physician, and received a degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine, reported CBS42.com. Bentley returned to working as a physician after he resigned from office in 2017. In 2019, he opened a dermatology office in Tuscaloosa. According to DCH Health System records, Bentley is a practicing physician affiliated with the hospital, reported MSN.com. While some have criticized the former governor for getting the vaccine ahead of others, Andy North, DCH vice president for marketing and communications stated, “As I understand it, physicians were included in that initial prioritization without an indication of where they practice. If a doctor is on our physician finder then they have some level of privileges with the hospital.” Alabama public health officials developed a COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Plan to determine who gets the vaccine first. Current vaccines are reserved for the Phase 1A population. ADPH guidelines describe one group as “frontline health workers, including clinical and non-clinical workers in hospitals, nursing homes, EMS, or those providing in-home or mental health care directly.” There is a 1A “subset” that includes “Non hospital-based physicians, nurse practitioners, private offices, Federally Qualified Health Centers, County Health Departments, subspecialties, and mental health and treatment centers.”
PCI Chairwoman Stephanie Bryan congratulates Deb Haaland for historic Dept. of Interior nomination
Stephanie Bryan, Poarch Band of Creek Indians Chairwoman, congratulated Representative Deb Haaland on her historic nomination by President-Elect Joe Biden to serve as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. The Department of Interior has jurisdiction over a wide variety of government programs, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She will become the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency. Haaland, 60, is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe and lives in New Mexico. Haaland has represented New Mexico’s First Congressional District since 2018. She was one of two Native American women to be elected that year, making her one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress. Prior to this nomination, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has been run by non-Native officials, mostly male. For generations, the department worked to take control of Native American land, and attempted to assimilate them into white culture, Associated Press reported. Bryan stated, “My friend Deb has been a great advocate for Tribes during her time in the House of Representatives, and for that I want to thank her. It has been a pleasure to get to know her and see her passion for tribal priorities, and the Poarch Creek Indians have no doubt she will ably lead the Interior Department.” The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama. They operate as a sovereign nation with their own system of government and bylaws. The Poarch Creek Indians are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation that once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. The Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around the reservation in Poarch, Alabama.
Mo Brooks moves forward on challenging Electoral College votes
Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks is challenging the Presidential Election votes and is following through with the threat to ask certain electoral college votes to be thrown out. Brooks wants certain electoral votes thrown out based on President Donald Trump’s allegations of massive voter fraud, News 19 reported. So far every lawsuit that has been filed has been dismissed, including one in the U.S. Supreme Court. This time Brooks, along with 18 other leaders, are asking Mitch McConnell and others to “do their jobs and conduct voter fraud and election theft hearings and investigations so that Congressmen and Senators will be better informed when Congress faces questions about the legitimacy of various federal elections held on November 3, 2020.” Brooks posted on Facebook and Twitter, calling on Congress to reverse the presidential election results and give the win to Donald Trump. At the end of the letter, Brooks asks Congress to hold hearings to do three things: 1. Probe all allegations of illegal conduct concerning the November 3, 2020 elections. 2. Investigate systemic problems affecting our elections. 3. Hear from election experts to explore legislative solutions that lessen the impact of fraudulent and illegal votes and restores faith that America can hold a free and fair election. Political analyst and attorney Mark McDaniel told News19, “Not only does Congressman Brooks have a right to do it. He has a duty to do it if he feels there is a problem with the election, then he should raise objections to it. And I know there will be a number of other members of The House of Representatives that will probably go along with Congressman Brooks on this.” David Person, political analyst and radio host, has a different opinion on Brooks’ actions. Pearson stated, “This is what’s disturbing about these efforts, by Mo and others. They don’t seem to have the focus or the energy to try to address arguably the largest health crisis of the past 50, 60 years, but they have all of the energy and all of the focus in the world to focus on an election that was lost.” Other leaders who have signed the letter are Andy Biggs, Mike D. Rogers, Jim Banks, David Rouzer, Paul Gosar, Ted Budd, Brian Babin, Bob Gibbs, Ralph Norman, Greg Steube, Jody Hice, Mike Kelly, Jeff Duncan, Louie Gohmert, Randy Weber, Scott DesJarlais, and Mike Garcia. Brooks needs support from at least one Senator to trigger a debate before Congress. According to a Washington Examiner article, Brooks told Washington Secrets this week, “I’m cautiously optimistic that there will be one or more United States senators who will fight to reject voter fraud and election theft. Ultimately, whether a senator acts on behalf of our country will be determined by whether that senator’s employers, the American people, have made it known to the senators that this is a litmus test issue.” Brooks continued, “Either you fight for America, or voters never vote for them again and fight against them.”
Alabama to get fewer doses of virus vaccine than expected
Alabama will receive almost 20,000 fewer doses of coronavirus vaccine than initially planned, reducing the number of people who can receive an initial dose in coming days, health officials said Friday. While the state had expected to receive 48,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week, the total allocation has been reduced to 29,250 doses, the Alabama Department of Public Health said in a statement. Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, said claims by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that vaccine allotments were not being reduced were incorrect. “Clearly there’s not enough product to go around. There’s not as much as they were anticipating, and no one has given us an adequate explanation,” Harris told al.com. An epidemiologist with the Mobile County Health Department. Dr. Rendi Murphree, called the reduction disappointing. “But there are going to be ups and downs as things roll on,” she told a virtual news conference. Almost 4,500 people in Alabama, mostly front-line health care workers, have received initial doses of the two-part vaccine since Tuesday, the state said, and the reduction in doses will not affect them since follow-up doses already have been allotted. Alabama hospitals could begin receiving a second type of vaccine manufactured by Moderna as early as next week if federal officials approve the vaccine as expected, the state said, and Alabama already has been allotted 83,400 doses. Addressing concerns that people will stop wearing masks or staying away from each other to guard against spreading the virus, Murphree said it was too early to let down defenses. “You’re going to continue doing that way until 2021,” said Murphree, an epidemiologist. Nearly 4,300 people in Alabama have died of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, and more than 315,000 have tested positive. Health department statistics show 2,447 people were hospitalized with the illness Friday, and the state has set new records for hospitalizations with the illness each day since Tuesday. At the current rate of infection, the cumulative number of cases confirmed in the state will double in about 64 days, according to bamatracker.com, an independent website which compiles statistics released by health officials. That’s less than half the time than was required in early September before the pandemic worsened nationwide. COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but it can be deadly for patients with other health problems and the elderly. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
