Alabama Governor Blames Unvaccinated Folks For Rise In Covid-19 Cases

Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday blamed those who are still refusing to get vaccinated for the rise in Covid-19 cases in her state.

"Folks are supposed to have common sense," Ivey told reporters during a press conference in Birmingham.

Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., with only 34% of its population fully vaccinated It is tied with Mississippi for that percentage. It currently beats four other states for the percentage of residents to have received at least one shot, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, 38% of the state received at least one vaccine dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It's time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It's the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down," Ivey said.

When asked about reinstating mask mandates and other restrictions, Ivy told reporters that she's done her best to fight the virus but "can't make you take care of yourself."

In the past two weeks, cases in Alabama have risen 311%, a New York Times Covid-19 tracker found.

This rise in cases comes at a time in which the more contagious and deadly Delta variant makes its way around the nation, particularly affecting unvaccinated Americans.

“Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are with unvaccinated folks," Ivey said. "And the deaths are certainly occurring with the unvaccinated folks. These folks are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain.”

No new pandemic measures have been put in place in the state of Alabama.

However, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said people should consider wearing masks indoors as a precautionary measure against the highly contagious Delta variant in the U.S. regardless of their vaccination status.