ADPH warns of vaccine scams

With people becoming more and more eager to get the COVID-19 vaccine, some scammers are apparently using this to their advantage.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s social media, there have been several reports of citizens receiving calls from people identifying themselves as public health nurses, saying they will administer vaccines at residences.

This is a service the ADPH currently does not offer.

“If you receive unsolicited calls, emails or visits from persons purporting to be with ADPH and offering to administer COVID-19 vaccines at home, do not allow them to enter your residence or provide personal information such as Social Security numbers, birthdates or bank information to these persons,” the post says. “Please notify local law enforcement about the details of such encounters.”

Franklin County Health Department clinical nurse supervisor Kim Wooten said the vaccine process is changing regularly depending on the county and the number of staff for the day.

She said the Franklin County Health Department is giving vaccines by issuing numbers to people in the eligible groups on a first-come, first-serve basis twice a day.

There will be a new scheduling system available through ADPH in March that Wooten said she is hopeful will make the process much smoother.

Wooten said it is sad to see scammers take advantage of how desperate people are to get the vaccine.

“I wish there were more providers who had the vaccine so more people would have the chance to get it,” Wooten said. “Maybe that would cut down on the amount of people trying to take advantage.”

Wooten said she is hopeful vaccine distribution is going well and one day soon there will not be as much fear surrounding COVID-19.

“I can’t wait until the day when we have enough of the vaccine to go around and there isn’t a long line of people having to wait to get it,” Wooten said. “Hopefully that day will be here soon.”

For more information about vaccine distribution in Alabama, visit https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19vaccine/index.html.