MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday extended a statewide mask order into March as the state continues to face high numbers of covid-19 cases and the vaccination rollout has been hindered by a limited supply.
"The mask mandate remains one step we can all take in order to keep some balance in our daily lives and remain healthy and safe," Ivey said during a news conference at the state Capitol.
The Republican governor said the state saw a record-setting surge of cases in the wake of winter holidays. Although the state is beginning to emerge from that spike, state hospitalizations remain high. Ivey said that at one point last week the state had only 39 empty intensive care unit beds.
The order, which has been in place since July, requires masks in public when interacting within 6 feet with people from another household. The mask order will last until 5 p.m. March 5.
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Thousands of people this week flocked to vaccination sites as the state began inoculating people 75 and older in addition to first responders and health care workers. But thousands more jammed state lines trying unsuccessfully to get an appointment.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the biggest obstacle to vaccination is the available supply.
"We've certainly heard from many people in the public who are angry and frustrated about the vaccine program because they don't feel they understand how they can get a vaccine. I want you to know we hear all of those people and we share some of those frustrations as well," Harris said.
Harris said they are working to get the vaccinations out as quickly as possible.
"If you are a person who wants vaccine in Alabama, you are going to get that," he said.
The state of nearly 5 million people has so far had 446,000 vaccine doses delivered, according to state numbers. The state has administered 184,000 doses so far. There are more than 600,000 people who are currently eligible for the vaccinations.
Separately, California said it's safe to immediately begin using a batch of coronavirus vaccine doses after health officials urged a halt to injections and held a review because several people had reactions.
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Wednesday's decision frees up more than 300,000 doses to counties, cities and hospitals struggling to obtain supplies. With the largest U.S. population at 40 million people, California has the second-highest covid-19 death toll in the country behind New York.
The state Department of Public Health on Sunday urged a pause in the use of a specific lot of the Moderna virus after fewer than 10 people who received shots at a San Diego vaccination site needed medical care, possibly as a result of rare but severe allergic reactions.
But after a safety review and consultation with Moderna and health agencies, the state "found no scientific basis to continue the pause" and said vaccinations can "immediately resume," state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a statement.
"These findings should continue to give Californians confidence that vaccines are safe and effective, and that the systems put in place to ensure vaccine safety are rigorous and science-based," Pan said, adding that some of her family members had received it.
Large counties have been opening up more mass vaccination sites as they struggle with an unprecedented demand. Officials are pinning hopes on President Joe Biden's promise to ramp up vaccination resources.
"Under a Biden administration, our country has a fighting chance at defeating this virus," California state Sen. Scott Wiener said Wednesday.
Information for this article was contributed by Don Thompson, Kathleen Ronayne, Janie Har, Olga Rodriquez and Christopher Weber of The Associated Press.
