Alabama Governor Kay Ivey
MONTGOMERY-Below you will find a an op-ed piece done by Governor Kay Ivey that was sent to the Washington Post:
Washington, D.C., is so hyper-politically polarized these days, itโs no wonder Americans have tuned out the earnest pleas of the nationโsย top doctors, their elected leaders, superstar athletes and other celebrities who have been urging, for months, those who are unvaccinated to take the shot.
Here is the truth: Closing businesses will not defeat covid-19. Wearing masks will not defeat covid-19. And keeping our students from in-classroom learning will not defeat covid-19.
The good news is we have something that has proved helpful โ safe and effective vaccines, which were developed in record time, and we canย thankย former president Donald Trump and all of those involved inย Operation Warp Speedย for making this medical miracle happen.
This time last year, people were praying that a vaccine would come to market in time to help slow the surge of deaths and people getting sick. With a lot of hard work, our prayers were answered. In fact, President Trump, who got the shot in January, later called it a โtrue miracle.โ
Inย Alabama, my advice has been simple and consistent. If you can take the shot, roll up your sleeve and get one.
There are those who believe that government should mandate the vaccine or that we should bribe people to take it. Thatโs not going to happen in my state, no matter how many times the media ask me.
But there are also those who remain hesitant and skeptical of the vaccine, because there is so muchย misinformationย out there. I believe those who are pushing fake news and conspiracy theories about this vaccine are reckless and causing great harm to people. The unvaccinated folks are being lied to, and that is just plum sad. It is no secret thatย I expressed some frustrationย when talking to reporters last week, but the data does not lie, and I simply do not want to see Alabamians, or anyone else for that matter, suffer. This vaccine works, and we need to start acting like it. This is not political: Itโs just common sense.
Are there risks involved in taking it? Sure. But there is a risk every time we get in a car that we might be killed in a wreck. The benefits of getting where we need to go far outweigh those risks.
Let me be crystal clear: The covid-19 vaccine is our best weapon against this disease, and I encourage everyone to take it.
Even more importantly, talk with a doctor or pharmacist you know and trust. Thatโs what I did, and I received the vaccine as soon as I was eligible. It is free, readily available, and the jab doesnโt hurt a bit.
The hard, cold facts show the vaccine is saving lives. Thisย virus is deadly serious, and in the United States, the pandemic is unfortunately becoming one of the unvaccinated. The data show that in Alabama and most other states almost 100 percent of our hospitalizations andย deaths are among unvaccinatedย individuals.
A famous, albeit fictional son of Alabama,ย Forrest Gump, said, โLife was like a box of chocolates. You never know what youโre gonna get.โ That was true in 1994 when Forrest said it, and itโs true today. We have a weapon today to battle covid-19 that we didnโt have a year ago. Itโs up to you to use the good common-sense God gave you to do what is best for you and your loved ones.
By: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey
