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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

The Alabama Department of Public Health moved has Chilton County down from Very High in early December to Moderate on its COVID-19 Risk Indicator dashboard.

The dashboard ranks counties as Very High, High, Moderate and Low.

As of Dec. 31, which was the most recent data available on Jan. 6, the number of new cases in Chilton County had been declining for more than 14 days.

The testing goals have been met, but the percentage of those tested who tested positive had not decreased enough to meet the goal of less than 10%.

Visits to physicians for COVID-like symptoms were also declining.

In the past two weeks, there have been 357 new cases of COVID-19 out of 588 people who were tested.

Chilton County’s total cases since the beginning of the pandemic is 2,721 confirmed with 406 probable cases.

The Alabama Department of Public Health is reporting that there are 514 Chilton County residents who have the COVID-19 antibodies.

Two vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine — have received emergency approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

St. Vincent’s Chilton personnel have had the option of receiving the vaccine. The first employee received the vaccine the week of Dec. 21.

ADPH has released a plan for distribution of the vaccine. Phase 1 focuses “those at highest risk and highest risk of exposure, first responders and healthcare workers who care for those with critical needs.”

When the vaccine is more readily available, phase 2 “educational efforts will target critical populations who were not vaccinated in Phase 1.”

“In Phase 3, there is likely to be a sufficient supply and all unvaccinated groups will be targeted. Special attention will be directed to populations or communities with low vaccine coverage,” according to an ADPH press release.

More information is available at alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/vaccine.html.