Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says it is time to put the blame on the "unvaccinated folks" for the continued spread of COVID-19.
Ivey, a Republican, made her comments to reporters in Birmingham on Thursday. Al.com said her remarks were her most forceful statements yet regarding the vaccines.
Asked what it would take to get more people to get vaccinated, she replied: "I don’t know. You tell me.
"Folks are supposed to have common sense. It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. ... I’ve done all I know how to do. I can encourage you to do something, but I can’t make you take care of yourself."
And she added: "I want folks to get vaccinated. That’s the cure. That prevents everything. Why do we want to mess around with just temporary stuff? We don’t need to just encourage people to go halfway with curing this disease. Let’s get it done. We know what it takes to get it done. Get a shot in your arm. I’ve done it. It’s safe. The data proves it. It doesn’t cost anything. It saves lives."
According to Al.com, Ivey received both shots of the Pfizer vaccine in December.
But Politico noted that Alabama remains the state with perhaps the lowest rate of vaccines in the nation. It attributed its information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Just 39.6% of state residents 12 and older have been fully vaccinated. By comparison, 48.8% of Americans nationally have been vaccinated.
And Al.com pointed out that the state’s Department of Public Health said Alabama has recorded more than 500 COVID-19 deaths since April 1. Twenty of those who died were fully vaccinated. That means slightly over 96% were unvaccinated.
People must "take care of themselves and us as well," Ivey said. "We can’t do that for them. All we can do is everybody take the shot for themselves, so encourage others to do likewise."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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