HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) that as of July 23, there are 11,004 active cases in the state. Karen Landers, M.D. says the only way to stop the spread is to get the vaccine, but many people just don't want to.
"What I remind people is that we are giving medical advice, medical advice related to the vaccine," Dr. Landers explains.
Rural counties in the Tennessee Valley have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. That could be because of a lack of information on the shots.
Dr. Landers shares that she trusts the scientists who developed the vaccines.
"I took the vaccine myself, my family took the vaccine as soon as it was available to them," Dr. Landers said.
Experts in Alabama are assuring people in the state that they won't steer them in the wrong direction.
"Why would we as physicians, persons who are actively engaged in treatment and management of patients and [who are] trying to keep people from dying, recommend something that we wouldn't take ourselves," Dr. Landers said.
Officials say it doesn't matter whether you're getting a vaccine shot in your home county or traveling to another town, they just want you to get it done.
Click here to find vaccine locations.
"We remind people that people don't have to go to one individual county to receive their vaccine, they may go to different counties," Dr. Landers said.
Dr. Landers gave a piece of advice to the community:
"People can be over COVID if they want to but COVID is not over us."