With only 11% of Alabamians boosted, doctors and health leaders are urging Alabamians to continue getting shots, and in the meantime, they'll continue to make sure people have access to testing.
This latest COVID-19 surge is adding to the confusion about the effectiveness of vaccines and their boosters.
"Studies are showing that 3rd dose, that booster dose, really protects you well against omicron," says Dr. Jodie Dionne-Odom, associate professor of infectious disease at UAB.
Dionne-Odom says yes, you should still get a booster shot, and yes, the vaccines are still working even if people are still getting sick.
She points out while hospitalizations are on the rise - they are not happening as often as in the past and fewer people are dying.
"What we've seen is that over time, 4,5,6, 10 months, the amount of antibodies in your nose starts to go down, so that means if you were to get infected, you could harbor the virus in your nose and your immune system would wake up and prevent it from makin you very sick," she says.
You could still pass it to other people, but boosting your antibodies helps prevent that.
As for testing, Dr. David Hicks, deputy health officer of Jefferson County Department of Health, says that should be easier in the near future.
"Given that we're hearing from our local emergency departments saying they do not want people to go there to get tested. That's not the appropriate place to get a covid test. We're working with our state and other partners to increase testing quickly," says Hicks.
Hicks says at the end of last week they started offering appointment only testing in the afternoons at their downtown location.
He adds larger scale testing will be available soon.
Dr. Dionne Odom says as more variants come about it's like researchers are chasing them, but they are doing their best to keep up and develop vaccines that can fight against new variants.