August 8, 2022
A Message from Dr. Richard Friend, Dean of the College of Community Health Sciences
Unfortunately, COVID-19 numbers are on the rise again. While we are hopeful that this spike is short lived, we are seeing a significant number of COVID-19 positive cases in Tuscaloosa and statewide.
Positive COVID-19 cases are also spiking in many parts of the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In July, the CDC reported that BA.5, the latest Omicron subvariant, accounted for more than 75% of the country’s new COVID-19 cases.
A defining factor of BA.5 is that it is highly transmissible and able to avoid protections provided by vaccination and immunity from previous COVID-19 infection.
But there is some good news. Many BA.5 infections aren’t producing the kind of severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths we saw earlier in the pandemic, when immunity was lower than it is today.
Still, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves, and others, from BA.5. I strongly encourage anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated. If you are eligible for a booster COVID-19 vaccine, I strongly recommend receiving it, as getting booster shots seem to provide better protection.
University Medical Center in Tuscaloosa has COVID-19 vaccines and boosters available for adults on Tuesdays by appointment. Call (205) 348-1471 to make your appointment. On Thursdays, UMC in Tuscaloosa has Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines available for patients ages 6 months to 4 years, and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for patients ages 5 years to 11 years. Call (205) 348-1471 for an appointment.
UMC also offers COVID-19 testing by appointment. If you think you need to be tested, please call us at (205) 348-1471.
Social distancing and masking are also good precautions, especially when you are indoors and not able to socially distance from people outside of your household.
At University Medical Center, our mission is to take care of the collective health of our patients and our community.
The College of Community Health Sciences operates University Medical Center, the UA Student Health Center and Pharmacy, Brewer-Porch Children’s Center and Capstone Hospitalist Group.
