Glenn Stephens

“The Edge of the Woods”: UAB Epidemiologist Says Herd Immunity Could Be Reached by Late Spring

An epidemiologist at UAB Medicine thinks that Alabama may be headed toward a long-sought goal in the COVID pandemic and may reach that goal sooner than many had expected. Dr. Suzanne Judd said in a press conference Wednesday that the state is getting closer to herd immunity, a state where the virus stops its spread because a large part of the population is immune, either through vaccination or by because they have antibodies in their systems because of previous infections — in many cases, infections people didn’t even realize they had. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Police Jurisdiction Bill Gets Public Hearing

A bill in the Alabama Legislature would stop the growth of police jurisdictions in the state and rein in municipalities’ ability to enforce planning and zoning requirements outside their limits. Senate Bill 107 from Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Daphne, was approved in the Senate 30-to-0 earlier this month. On Tuesday, it had a public hearing in the House County and Municipal Government Committee.  “What is before you is a bill that essentially freezes police jurisdictions where they currently exist, allowing the municipality to outgrow them in time,” Elliott said. “As amended, the bill freezes planning jurisdictions at a mile-and-a-half out from the current city limit lines. It continues to allow the collection of sales taxes to fund public safety in those jurisdictions. It also rolls back municipal authority over building permits (in the jurisdictions).”  Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

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 than 16 qualifying medical conditions and symptoms listed in the bill, including post-traumatic stress disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Crohn’s disease, HIV/AIDS-related nausea, and cancer-related chronic pain and nausea. An amendment added on the Senate floor by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, added sickle cell anemia to the list of approved conditions. The bill would create a Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee regulations and licensing for medical marijuana cultivators, processors and dispensaries, and also would require a statewide seed-to-sale tracking system for all cannabis in the state. Read more. House Passes Bill Requiring Pre-K and Community Corrections, Aniah’s Law and Others Citing Census Data Delay, Lawmakers Seek to Move 2022 Elections Police Jurisdiction Bill Gets Public Hearing Ivey Declares Monday Supermarket Employee Day Read complete legislative coverage.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

COVID-19 Cases Increase in Tuesday Report

After declining for two weeks, the average daily number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama has begun to increase this week. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,453 new cases of the disease in its report Tuesday, up from 857 on Sunday and 677 on Monday. The state has averaged 926 cases a day over the past week, still below the average of 1,117 a week ago and 2,550 a day for the week ended Feb. 1. There have been 488,973 cases of the coronavirus and 9,660 deaths from it in the state since the pandemic began last March. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Average in Alabama Declines for 13th Consecutive Day

The weekly average number of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama dropped Saturday for the 13th consecutive day, according to the state Department of Public Health's daily update. The agency reported 774 new cases of the disease in the latest 24-hour report. The state has averaged 875 cases a day over the past week. That is the lowest since an average of 863 on Oct. 2, and down from a high of 4,280 on the week that ended Jan. 10. There have been 485,986 cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began last March. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Average Drops to Four-Month Low, Vaccinations on Rise

Alabama's daily average number of COVID-19 cases per week has dropped below the 1,000-mark for the first time since mid-October. Other indicators compiled by the state Department of Public Health, including the number of people in hospitals for the coronavirus and the rate of administration of vaccines, also showed improvement in Friday's daily update. There were 847 new cases of COVID-19 during the most recent 24-hour period. That left the daily average for the past week at 935, down from 971 the previous day. It marked the first time the average was lower than 1,000 a day since Oct. 14. The average reached a peak of 4,280 a day on Jan. 10 and has been falling steadily since then. There have been 485,212 cases since the pandemic began last March. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Bill Would Create Sexual Assault Survivor ‘Bill of Rights’

MONTGOMERY — Legislation moving through the Legislature would create a sexual assault survivor “bill of rights” and set a requirement for how long law enforcement must preserve evidence from sexual assault cases. Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollinger’s Island, is sponsoring House Bill 137, which is scheduled to be considered in the House Tuesday. “My whole purpose of this legislation is to try and protect sexual assault victims and help bring perpetrators and criminals to justice,” Brown told Alabama Daily News. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Federal COVID-19 Rent and Utilities Assistance Set for Birmingham Residents

The City of Birmingham has received nearly $6.3 million in federal funding to assist residents who are unable to pay rent and utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding comes as part of a $25 billion program from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which began allocating money to states, territories, local governments and Indian tribes last month. Funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance program was approved by the City Council during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. It was initially announced last month by Mayor Randall Woodfin, who said his administration had made the funding a “priority.” Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Alabama’s COVID-19 Case Numbers Tumble to Lowest Levels Since October

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama has fallen this week to its lowest level since October. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 674 new cases of the disease in Monday's daily update and 883 in the report on Tuesday. Those were the lowest single-day case numbers since a count of 557 cases on Oct. 18.  The state has averaged 1,117 new cases a day over the past week. That is the lowest since an average of 1,100 on Oct. 29 and compares with all-time high average of 4,280 on Jan. 10. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Daily Average Is Down by Two-Thirds Since Jan. 1

The weekly average number of new cases of COVID-19 per day in Alabama has fallen by about 67% since the beginning of this year, according to the state Department of Public Health's daily update on Saturday. The agency reported 1,189 new cases of the disease during the latest 24-hour period, raising the number of cases since the pandemic began last March to 479,856. The state has averaged 1,220 cases per day over the past week, down from the average of 3,718 cases a day for the week that ended Jan. 1. There have been 9,242 deaths from the coronavirus throughout the pandemic, including 62 in Saturday's update. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch