Glenn Stephens

754 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported for Alabama

There were 754 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths from the disease listed in Monday's update by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Those figures pushed the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began in March to 131,405 and the number of confirmed deaths to 2,292. Another 14,375 cases and 147 deaths were listed as probable. The average number of new cases per day stood at 729 over the past week and 709 during the past 14 days. The latter figure, for the past two weeks, rose Monday to its highest level since an average of 741 on Sept. 11. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Hospitalizations in Alabama Continue to Decline

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is continuing to decline, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported Sunday. There were 746 people in Alabama hospitals on Saturday for treatment of the disease, the agency said in its daily coronavirus update. That is down from 775 a week earlier, 829 two weeks ago and 1,160 on Aug. 20. The COVID-19 Dashboard showed 677 new confirmed cases of the disease on Sunday, pushing the state's total to 130,651 since the first case was reported on March 13. Another 14,311 cases were listed as probable, for a total of 144,962. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Records Highest Number of COVID-19 Cases This Month in Saturday Report

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,156 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the highest daily total so far in September. The count was the highest for a single day since a total of 1,172 confirmed cases on Aug. 30. The agency's daily dashboard showed a total of 129,974 confirmed cases plus 14,190 probable cases of COVID-19, for a total of 144,164 since the state reported its first positive diagnosis on March 13.  The number of confirmed cases was below the 600 mark three times this week, dropping to a low of 504 on Monday, Sept. 14. Saturday's report was the second in September when the daily total topped the 1,000 level -- the previous time having been 1,038 on Sept. 5. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

721 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported Friday, But Trends Remain Positive

Despite an uptick in the number of new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, Alabama continued to show a positive overall trend in caseloads and hospitalizations from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 721 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, raising the total for the pandemic to 128,818. Another 14,045 cases were listed as probable, for a total of 142,863. The case count was the highest since a total of 726 on Sept. 12. The average number of new cases stood at 674 a day over the past week. That is down from the daily average of 687 one week ago and 795 two weeks ago. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Totals Increase by 574 Cases, Seven Deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 574 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday. The state's overall totals for the disease throughout the pandemic stood at 128,097 confirmed cases and 2,264 confirmed deaths. The SDPH Dashboard listed an additional 13,660 cases as probable for a total of 141,757 cases, and 137 deaths as probable for a total of 2,401. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

710 New Cases of COVID-19, Four Deaths Listed in Wednesday Update

Alabama recorded 710 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths from the disease in Wednesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 127,523 confirmed cases and 2,257 confirmed deaths in the state throughout the pandemic. An additional 13,564 cases and 135 deaths are listed as probably from the coronavirus. Over the past two weeks, the state has averaged 664 new cases per day. That is down from an average of 880 cases a day on Sept. 1 and a peak of 1,787 on July 25.  Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Woodfin’s Constantly Changing Budget Leaves Library Board, City Council to Wonder: “What the Heck Is Going On?”

The future remains uncertain for the Birmingham Public Library and its 230 employees, thanks to city budget cuts necessitated by COVID-19. And there have been no clear answers from Mayor Randall Woodfin regarding just how much money the library system will receive from the city, which will determine how many branches will have to close and how many employees have to be furloughed. Or rather, as members of the BPL Board of Trustees remarked during a library board meeting Tuesday afternoon, there have been several clear answers from Woodfin, all of them dramatically different. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham City Council Seeks Halt to Closing of Recreation Centers

Members of the Birmingham City Council called on the city’s Park and Recreation Board Tuesday to halt plans to close 12 recreation centers until a “more equitable” plan can be created. The centers in question — Brownsville Heights, Harriman, Harrison, Henry Crumpton, Hooper City, Howze-Sanford, Inglenook, North Birmingham, Roosevelt City, Sandusky/Hudson, Wiggins and Willow Wood — would have to close as a result of employee furloughs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Park and Recreation Director Shonae’ Eddins-Bennett told the council on Sept. 10. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

COVID-19 Case Count Rises by 514 in Tuesday Update

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 514 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tuesday's daily update. The number of confirmed cases of the disease since the pandemic began in March rose to 126,813. Another 13,347 cases were listed as probable, for an overall total of 140,160. The agency reported 32 deaths, raising the total to 2,253 confirmed as resulting from the coronavirus, plus 134 listed as probable to bring the total to 2,387. The update showed 10 additional deaths in Jefferson County, eight in Lawrence County and six in Chilton County. An ADPH spokesman said those figures included a number of deaths that had been under investigation over the past several days in each of those counties. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Average Continues to Fall with 504 New Cases of COVID-19 in Alabama

The state added 504 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in Monday's daily update by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The agency's COVID dashboard showed a tota of 126,299 confirmed cases of the disease and 13,160 cases listed as probable. The death count rose to 2,221, with an additional 134 shown as probable. The moving 14-day average fell to 653, the lowest since a two-week daily average of 694 on June 28. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch