Jefferson County health officer begging for people to skip Christmas parties 2020 – WVTM13

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JOE BIDEN HAS AMERICA’S NEXT PRESIDENT,. BRITTANY: ANOTHER DAY OF INCREASE IN COVID-19 CASES. TODAY, MORE THAN 2800 NEW CASES HERE IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA. IAN: OVERALL, ALABAMA HAS MORE THAN 288,000 CASES. BREAKS DOWN INTO TWO GROUPS. YOU HAVE 238,000 CONFIRMED. 50,000 PROBABLE CASEATION. WE ALSO KNOW THAT 87 MORE PEOPLE PASSED AWAY IN THE LAST 24 HOURS. THAT IS THE MOST THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD DURING THIS PANDEMIC. YOU CAN SEE TODAY, THAT IS MORE THAN 3,600 PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES TO COVID-19. ALSO TODAY, TOTAL PRESUMED RECOVERIES, THOSE ARE NOW UP ABOVE 174,000. BRITTANY: DOCTORS IN OUR AREA ARE WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT TO BEGIN DISTRIBUTING VACCINES TO THOSE WHO NEED IT THE MOST. WVTM 13’S CHIP SCARBOROUGH TELLS US ABOUT THE LENGTHY PROCESS OF GETTING EVERYONE VACCINATED AND WHY DOCTORS SAY EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE IT. >> The Reporter: ALABAMA IS JUST DAYS AWAY FROM RECEIVING THE FIRST SHIPMENTS OF THE PFIZER VACCINE. THE JEFFERSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH UAB AND THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE READY FOR DISTRIBUTION IMMEDIATELY ONCE THEY ARRIVE. >> WE HAVE TO EMPHASIZE THE INITIAL SHIPMENTS ARE JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET. >> The Reporter: DR. MARK WILSON SAYS THE FIRST DOSES WILL GO TO FRONT-LINE HOSPITAL WORKERS AND E.M.S. PROVIDERS, AS WELL AS THOSE IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES. WILSON SAYS THE V.A. MEDICAL CENTER WILL ALSO RECEIVE A SHIPMENT. >> THAT’S REALLY GOOD NEWS FOR OUR HEALTH CARE WORKERS, WHO ARE TAKING CARE OF OUR VETERANS. >> The Reporter: WILSON EXPECTS IT TO TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS TO GET THE FIRST ROUND OF PEOPLE VACCINATED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH VACCINATING PEOPLE WHO ARE OLDER, THOSE WHO ARE TEACHERS AND THOSE WHO WORKS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEN COMES THE GENERAL POPULATION LATER. >> I THINK OUR EXPECTATIONS SHOULD BE THAT MIGHT BE LATE SPRING OR EARLY SUMMER. >> The Reporter: DOCTORS SAY PEOPLE OF COLOR AND MINORITIES HAVE BEEN HIT ESPECIALLY HARD BY COVID-19, AND WHILE SOME PEOPLE MAY BE AFRAID OF THE VACCINE, DOCTORS SAY, DON’T BE. >> AND THE DATA IS PROFOUND, SO AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET IN LINE. BE FIRST IN LINE TO GET THIS VACCINE. WE’VE SEEN THE BENEFIT OF ONE AND TWO DOSES MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE POPULATIONS THAT HAVE HAD IT. >> The Reporter: DOCTORS SAY AS FAR AS THEY CAN TELL, NO CORNERS WERE CUT IN MAKING SURE THIS VACCINE IS AS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE.