ByVeronica Stracqualursi, CNN

Updated 1:57 PM ET, Fri July 23, 2021

Washington (CNN)Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday called out “the unvaccinated folks” for therise in Covid-19 casesin her state, a remarkable plea at a time when many GOP leaders are refusing to urge people toget vaccinatedeven as Covid-19 cases surge in many parts of the country.”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,” Ivey told reporters in Birmingham.Alabama is theleast vaccinated statein the country, with roughly 33.9% of residents fully vaccinated, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Average daily Covid-19 cases in Alabama are nearly double what they were a week ago, and more than four times higher than they were two weeks…