There Were More Deaths Than Births In Alabama Last Year, A Grim First For The State

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Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer, discusses his state’s vaccination data on June 29 in Montgomery, Ala. He said last week that the state saw more deaths than births in 2020 for the first time in more than a century.





Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images



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Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images








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Still, some politicians there continue to push back on vaccines. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined other GOP attorneys general last week in threatening to sue the White House over its recent vaccine mandate plans.

Some 41.3% of Alabama’s population is fully vaccinated, according to NPR’s tracker. Harris said at the briefing that the state «continues to do a pretty good job» in that regard. Nationally, 54.6% of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated.

And the 2020 milestone may not be unique for long. Alabama could see higher deaths than births again in 2021 if the state continues on its current grim trajectory.

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

• COVID-19 vaccine


• coronavirus deaths


• Alabama