Glenn Stephens

Numbers of Cases, Hospitalizations for COVID-19 Reach Lowest Levels Since June

The daily average number of new cases of COVID-19 and the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus have dropped to the lowest levels since June, according to Tuesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. The agency reported 652 new cases of the disease during the latest 24-hour period. That left the average at 651 cases a day over the past week, the lowest since an average of 650 on June 18. The figure has been steadily falling since reaching a high of 3,084 on Jan. 11. ADPH said there were 651 people in Alabama hospitals for COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total for the course of the pandemic to 45,648. Monday's total was the lowest since the report of 650 inpatients on June 28. The peak of 3,084 inpatients was reported on Jan. 11. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Count Nears 10,000 Mark

Alabama's death toll for COVID-19 is approaching the 10,000 mark this weekend after the state Department of Public Health added 61 deaths from the disease in Saturday's daily update. The report raised the number of people who have died from the coronavirus over the coure of the pandemic to 9,930. The total has reached that level in just over 11 months since the death last March 23 of Thelma Jenny McDonald, 53, of the northeast Alabama town of Stevenson, the first person in the state to die after testing positive for COVID.19. Saturday's ADPH update showed 834 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 492,683 throughout the pandemic. The state averaged 957 new cases a day during the past week, less than one-fourth of the average daily high of 4,280 reported on Jan. 10. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

State Records 739 New Cases of COVID-19; Hospitalization Numbers Decline

There were 739 new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama and 38 deaths from the disease, the state Department of Public Health reported Friday in its daily update. The agency said there have been 491,849 cases of the coronavirus and 9,869 deaths since the pandemic began last March. The state averaged 948 new cases a day over the past week. That compares with an average of 935 a week earlier and 2,767 one month ago. The coronavirus hospitalization rate continued to shrink, with 722 inpatients reported across the state on Thursday. There were 989 patients a week earlier and 2,277 a month ago on Jan. 25. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Senate Approves School Board Bill, Other Legislative Briefs

A bill that would create more enforcement mechanisms for local school board members to ensure state requirements are being followed passed the Senate on Thursday. The Senate approved several amendments to Sen. Vivian Figure’s Senate Bill 170, including a change from Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, to give more weight to recommendations of penalties by a peer review panel created in the bill and removes the State Superintendent from the disciplinary decision process. “I am all about due process and making sure everyone is treated fairly at every level,” Figures, D-Mobile, said about the amendment. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Alabama’s COVID Vaccination Rate Increases

After a slow start, Alabama’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine is picking up pace, according to state Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris.  “Alabama as a whole has done a great job,” Harris said during a media call Thursday. “The past five weeks, we’ve given out well over 100,000 vaccines. And last week, even with all of the weather delays, it was our second best week that we have had so far.” The state has administered more than 800,000 doses. Harris said federal programs are helping to increase supply and reach more residents.  Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Jeffco Commission Gets Clean Bill of Health After State Review of Its Accounts

Jimmie Stephens ended Thursday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commission by saying that the county had received a clean bill of health from the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts. “They come in and check our books, our records, to make sure that everything is done in accordance with state law,” the commission president said. “No news is good news, and this is a no-news report that we have.” Had there been significant findings, Stephens said, the commission would have been duty bound to report that also. The report assessed the current commission and the one immediately before it. Each included Stephens and Commissioner Joe Knight. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Coronavirus Cases Dip, Vaccine Shots Rise in ADPH Report

The daily average number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama dipped below the 1,000-mark and the number of people receiving vaccines continued to climb in Thursday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There were 890 new cases of the coronavirus, dropping the daily average to 964 over the past week. The 7-day moving average had been below 1,000 for six days before rising to 1,008 on Wednesday. The average stood at 971 one week ago and 2,251 at this time in January. The highest daily average for the pandemic was 4,280 for the week ended Jan. 10. ADPH reported 87 new deaths in Thursday's report, bringing the overall total to 9,831. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Medical Marijuana Bill Gains Senate Approval

A bill to legalize and regulate medical marijuana passed the Alabama Senate Wednesday, a major step forward in a years-long effort to allow the use of the drug to treat chronic pain and other conditions. Senate Bill 46 sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana products to treat more

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Bill Would Allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting

A bill that would allow no-excuse absentee voting in Alabama has support from the secretary of state, but it faced some pushback during a public hearing on Wednesday.    House Bill 396 from Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, removes the excuse provision for absentee voting and allows absentee election managers to appoint additional assistants. Current law allows absentee voting only for a few reasons, including expecting to be out of the country, having a job that requires working a 10-hour shift that coincides with polling hours or having a homebound family member. Voters must check a box next to the reason that applies to them. Falsifying the application is a Class C felony, according to state law. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Alabama’s COVID-related Hospitalizations Continue to Fall, While New Cases and Deaths Rise Slightly

The crisis of a shortage of hospital beds for COVID patients in Alabama is now just a bad memory. In Birmingham Watch’s periodic analysis of data provided by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the number of beds occupied by those infected with the virus is now less than one-fourth of the peak reached in early January. The agency reported Wednesday that 773 beds held COVID inpatients, down from a high of 3,084 on Jan. 11. The decline in the number of hospitalized patients is one of the supporting statistics used by Dr. Suzanne Judd, an epidemiologist with UAB Medicine, to forecast that the state may reach herd immunity — a point where so many people were either vaccinated or were producing antibodies to the virus after being infected, that the spread of the virus comes to a virtual halt. She said that could happen by as soon as late summer. Read more.

by Robert Carter