Hesitancy Holding Back Vaccination Progress

WAAY-31's Breken Terry spoke with Helen Keller Hospital about its concerns with vaccine hesitancy.

2-million doses of the covid-19 vaccine.

But as more people are able to get vaccinated - and more doses arrive in alabama - some healthcare officials say "vaccine hesitancy" is still holding some people back.

Waay31's breken terry spoke with helen keller hospital about its concerns.

Helen keller hospital officials told me by this time they expected people in the 75 and up category to be 90% vaccinated - but they're not at that point.

According to the state health department - about 1 out of every 3 people in lauderdale, colbert, and franklin counties have recieved at least one dose of the vaccine.

But with the state's mask mandate over and summer events coming up - hospital officals are worried another spike in cases could be around the corner because enough people aren't getting vaccinated.

Kyle buchanan- the bottom line is that more people we can have vaccinated were talking 70 to 80, or 90 percent is where we want to be to prevent further spread.

If we go into the summer with only 30% of our population vaccinated that means 70% of people in the shoals have no more protection against covid than they did a year ago.

Look live tag: buchanan said he and his staff would feel better going into the summer social months with 60 to 70 percent of the shoals population vaccianted.