Alabama National Guard turns to vaccinating inmates, the homebound

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The Alabama National Guard is working with county health departments to help people who can’t access the coronavirus vaccine get their shots.

Guard members finished their mass vaccination clinics in 24 rural counties last month and will now split up into smaller groups to find hard-to-reach populations.

This could include people who do not have transportation, those who are homebound, or those in county jails.

“Clearly, there are going to be some group homes and are going to be some people who truly are literally homebound who can’t leave,” said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris.

For example, the national guard has visited the Montgomery County Jail to offer vaccinations to about 600 inmates.

“When they told me they were going to bring the team in, that’s very beneficial,” Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham said, who added this is especially important when social distancing is not an option for inmates.

“We still have got to treat them as human beings,” Cunningham said. “We’ve still go to respect them as human beings. Our job is to secure and to make sure they are safe.”

The Alabama National Guard began working with county health departments on this latest COVID-19 vaccination effort this week.

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