As COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) is pointing to who she believes is responsible for the increase.
Ivey was asked by reporters, “What is it going to take to get people to get shots into arms?”
“I don’t know. You tell me,” she responded. “Folks [are] supposed to have common sense. But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.”
When asked if she feels it is her responsibility to “try and help get this situation under control,” she responded, “I’ve done all I know how to do.”
Watch the video below:
Asked what it will take to up the vaccination rate in Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) snaps: “I don’t know, you tell me! Folks supposed to have common sense. It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks.”
— The Recount (@therecount) July 23, 2021
(For more context, Ivey signed a ban on vaccine passports back in May.) pic.twitter.com/ZUMVDm4QHi
Ivey’s comments come as the number of new coronavirus cases is on the rise again in the U.S. According to The New York Times, the average number of new cases recorded per day is 45,343, a 180% increase from the prior 14 days.
On Thursday, the country recorded more than 60,000 new cases, numbers not seen since April.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said last month that almost all of the deaths from the virus are occurring in people who were not vaccinated.
According to the CDC, 56.4% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 48.8% has been fully vaccinated, as of Thursday evening.