Glenn Stephens

557 New Cases, 36 Deaths Listed in Thursday’s COVID-19 Update

Alabama added 557 cases of COVID-19 and 36 deaths from the disease in Thursday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. The count, down from 941 new cases reported on Wednesday, was the lowest since the department reported 571 cases on Sept. 29. The state has recorded 161,975 cases of the disease since the pandemic began in March. That includes 142,664 confirmed cases and 19,311 listed as probable. Limestone County led the state in Thursday's update with 28 cases, followed by Jefferson County with 27 and Lee County with 25. The death toll of 36 was the highest number reported for a single day since 42 deaths were reported on Aug. 29. There Health Department's Dashboard showed 2,637 Alabamians have died of COVID-19, including 2,484 confirmed and 153 shown as probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Daily COVID-19 Count Reaches Highest Number So Far This Week

Alabama's COVID-19 case count grew by 941 on Wednesday, the biggest daily total so far this week, according to the state Department of Public Health's dashboard. There have been 161,418 cases of the disease in the state since the pandemic began in March. The total includes 142,292 confirmed cases and 19,126 listed as probable. Previously this week, the daily totals of new cases were 789 on Sunday, 544 on Monday and 764 on Tuesday. The Health Department's daily update showed 24 new deaths, including seven in Mobile County, to push the state's total to 2,601. That includes 2,454 confirmed as being from COVID-19 and 147 shown as probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

McClusky Wins Homewood Mayoral Runoff; Penny Elected in Fairfield, Scott in Center Point

Homewood City Council member Patrick McClusky defeated political newcomer Chris Lane in a runoff Tuesday for mayor. McClusky got 2,727 votes, for 56% of those cast, while Lane received 2,099 votes, for 46%. In Fairfield, incumbent Eddie Penny was elected to his first full term as mayor, defeating challenger Michael K. Williams in a runoff. And in Center Point, City Councilman Bobby Scott defeated incumbent Tom Henderson to become only the second mayor in the city's history of almost 19 years. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

764 New Cases, 21 Deaths Reported in COVID-19 Update

There were 764 new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama, along 21 deaths, the state Department of Public Health reported Tuesday in its daily update. The state has experienced 160,477 cases of the disease since the pandemic began in March. That includes 141,477 confirmed cases and 18,923 listed as probable. The death toll rose to 2,580, with 2,436 confirmed and 144 shown as probable. There was a slight uptick in the number of people hospitalized for the 24-hour period ending on Monday, when there were 791 people in hospitals around the state with COVID-19. That was the highest for the past seven days, when the daily totals ranged from 735 to 774. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

789 New Cases of COVID-19, No Additional Deaths in Alabama

There were 789 new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama but no new deaths during the latest 24-hour counting period, the state Department of Public Health reported Sunday. Alabama has recorded 140,445 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 18,724 probable cases for a total of 159,169, the agency reported in its daily update. The number of cases has grown by 6,848 since last Sunday for an average of 978 cases per day. The daily average has been 959 cases over the past month. The death toll from COVID-19 remained at 2,558 in Sunday's report.  Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Total Rises by 1,682 Cases in Saturday Report

The number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama grew by 1,682 in Saturday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 158,380 cases since the pandemic began in March, including 139,726 confirmed cases and 18,654 listed as probable. The state has averaged 891 new cases a day over the past two weeks. The new report included eight deaths for the 24-hour period. Alabama has recorded 2,558 deaths, including 2,416 confirmed and 142 listed as probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Trump’s Positive Test Proves COVID-19 Can Affect Anyone, UAB Doctor Says

The news of President Donald Trump’s positive test result Thursday night shows that the COVID-19 virus is not a respecter of persons or position, according to a specialist in infectious diseases for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “If one of the most powerful leaders in the world is susceptible to COVID and its consequences, that’s incredibly sobering and sad, and I’m very sorry it happened,” said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who works in UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases. Speaking Friday in the school’s regular online news conference about the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and its effects, Marrazzo said, “I really, really hope that it perhaps makes some people who might have dismissed COVID and haven’t experienced the personal effects of it sit up and pay attention, because you can prevent yourself, protect yourself, protect yourself and your family and your community by doing the things that we have been boringly and endlessly repeating every single time we get together, which is wearing a mask, social distancing and hand hygiene.” Read more.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Has Lifelong Passion For Education

Birmingham city schools have a new superintendent this fall.  Longtime educator Mark Sullivan officially took over the role last month. He’s the district’s fourth superintendent in the past decade but Sullivan is no stranger to the system. Many hope that will keep him on the job longer than his predecessors. Taking on a leadership role in the middle of a pandemic requires some adjustments. Students and teachers continue virtual learning, but that hasn’t prevented Sullivan from making  school visits.  On a recent day, he walked down a hallway at  Birmingham’s Phillips Academy. Sullivan is here to check in with school administrators. These are halls he knows well. “I used to be principal here … it’s hard to believe,” he said. “These hallways used to be filled with students.”  Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

954 New Cases, Two Deaths from COVID-19 in Friday Update

There were 954 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths from the disease during the past 24 hours, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported Friday morning. The additions brought the state's total to 156,698 cases, including 138,989 confirmed and 17,709 probable. There have been 2,550 deaths from COVID-19 in the state since the pandemic began. That includes 2,409 confirmed and 141 probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Daily Dashboard Adds 1,043 Cases of COVID-19 on Thursday

Alabama recorded 1,043 new cases of COVID-19 in Thursday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. The agency's dashboard showed a total of 155,744 cases in Alabama since the pandemic began in March. That includes 138,162 confirmed cases and 17,582 listed as probable. The number of total cases has grown by 7,538 over the past week and 13,987 over the past two weeks. Thursday's report listed eight new deaths. There have been 2,548 deaths in Alabama from the disease, including 2,405 confirmed and 143 probable, the dashboard showed. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens