The U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Huntsville Hospital are pairing up to give an incentive for those who haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccine — get a first jab Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon in the lobby of the Davidson Center, then come back for the follow up Aug. 26 and get free tickets to the museum.

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“We are excited to partner with Huntsville Hospital to provide an easy and convenient location to help more people get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Dr. Kimberly Robinson, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. “We appreciate the community’s continued support of the Center, and we are happy to help make the Rocket City a healthier and safer place for everyone.”

As an added incentive for attending the vaccination clinics, the Rocket Center is issuing stickers for access to the Davidson Center’s Saturn V Hall for those receiving their first shot. Following the second shot, those who are vaccinated at the clinic will receive a ticket to visit the entire center either on the day of the clinic or another day of their choice.

The move comes as the Delta variant of the virus is leading a surge in Alabama. Some hospitals in Texas, Florida and Missouri are among those where beds are again running low.

For many in Alabama who thought the pandemic was over, here are some sobering numbers:

State hospitals had 1,694 COVID-19 patients Tuesday, adding about 100 a day. If that trend holds, the state will reach the previous peak of 3,081 by the middle of this month.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the number of patients (1,694) is already higher than the number during the 2020 summer surge in July.
Of the 2,379 deaths statewide from January to June, 99 percent were unvaccinated.
The soaring rate of hospitalizations in the state has gone from 204 on July 1 to 371 on July 15 and Tuesday’s count of 1,694.

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With in-classroom school resuming, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masking for all students, teachers, staff and visitors to K-12 schools regardless of vaccination status.

“The most effective tools to reduce the spread of COVID-19 continues to be COVID-19 vaccines,’’ said Dr. Scott Harris of the ADPH.

The next best defense remains masking, distancing and sanitizing. But of the three public school systems in the county — Huntsville, Madison and Madison County — only Huntsville planned to enter a return to on-site learning with a mandatory mask rule.

Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the country and also the highest positive test rate. But Gov. Kay Ivey has been steadfast in declaring she would not issue mask mandates but urged the vaccines.

“We’ve had a major increase, I’m told, in folks who have gotten vaccinated recently and y’all have done this without a mandate, not from Montgomery or D.C.’’ Ivey said. “I encourage everyone to get one if they haven’t done so.’’