Tuscaloosa County Sheriff encouraging deputies to get coronavirus vaccination shots

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Tuscaloosa county Sheriff Ron Abernathy called this past weekend a big step for first responders here when it came to getting vaccinated for COVID-19.

On Saturday, several of his deputies from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office got their first vaccination shot.

“We consider it very important because it slows down or potentially eliminates some of the transmission of the virus,” Abernathy told WBRC.

He said many of his deputies were part of more than 150 first responders who got coronavirus vaccination shots at the remote facility operated by DCH Regional Medical Center. That group included deputies, detention officers, volunteer fire fighters and others. He believes people in the department surveyed about getting vaccinated are almost evenly split.

“I would say it’s a little less than 50 percent is what we’re looking at total as far as employees that want to get vaccinated,” the Sheriff added.

Coronavirus vaccinations are recommended within the department, but they are not required.

“We put a big emphasis here at the sheriff’s office with our first responders throughout the county about trying to get individuals vaccinated,” he continued.

Abernathy then went on to say that two deputies are off work at this time as a result of COVID-19.

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