Glenn Stephens

Alabama COVID-19 Case Total Rises by 1,561, With 42 More Deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported a big increase in the number of casses of COVID-19 and deaths from the disease on Saturday, but the agency issued a statement saying the figures included a backlog of cases from the past few weeks. The daily dashboard showed 1,561 confirmed new cases and 42 deaths, bringing the totals to 115,284 cases and 2,059 deaths since the pandemic began in mid-March. In addition 8,462 casees and 90 deaths were listed as probably from the coronavirus. But the department said in a statement that it began using a new laboratory and when that happens "we sometimes will receive a backlog of results, both positive and negative." Read more.

COVID-19 Cases, Deaths in Alabama Jump to Two-Week Highs

The daily numbers of new cases of COVID-19 and deaths from the disease in Alabama jumped Saturday to their highest levels in more than two weeks, the state Department of Pubic Health reported. There were 1,561 confirmed new cases of the coronavirus and 42 deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to the agency's COVID Dashboard. That was the highest number of cases in a single day since 1,655 cases were reported on Aug. 10 and the greatest number of deaths since 48 on Aug. 11. The number of cases had been below 1,000 on six of the previous seven days. The state has counted 115,284 confirmed cases, plus 8,462 listed as probable, since the pandemic began in mid-March. The death toll is 2,059, along with 90 listed as probably associated with the disease. Read more.

Alabama Deaths from COVID-19 Top the 2,000 Mark

Alabama's COVID-19 death toll moved past the 2,000-mark Friday as the state Department of Public Health reported 27 deaths over the latest 24-hour period. The number of people who have died of the coronavirus since the pandemic began in mid-mark reached 2,017, plus 86 deaths that are listed as probably resulting from the disease. The agency reported 929 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 113,723. Another 8,229 people are listed as probably contracting the disease but not confirmed. Read more.

COVID-19 Averages Fall Again Thursday, but Alabama Reports 25 Deaths

Alabama reported 25 deaths from COVID-19 in Thursday's update by the state Department of Public Health, but the number of new cases of the disease continued to trend downward. There were 668 confirmed new cases of the coronavirus during the 24-hour period covered by the report, bringing the total to 112,794 since the pandemic began in March. The number of deaths climbed to 1,990. In addition, 7,128 cases and 80 deaths are listed as probably being associated with the disease. The deaths in the new report represented the biggest daily number since 29 were reported one week earlier. The moving seven-day average of new cases stood at 759, less than half the average of 1,543 cases per day for the week ending Aug. 3. It was the 13th consecutive day for which the rolling seven-day average was below 1,000 cases. Read more.

Alabama’s COVID-19 Numbers Continue to Decline

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued to slow on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Public Health The agency had incomplete figures in its daily report on Tuesday and made up those numbers on the COVID Dashboard Wednesday. The report showed an increase of 1,375 over the two days, for an average of 678.5 cases per day for the period. That brought the state total to 112,126 since the pandemic began in mid-March. Alabama has averaged 763 new cases a day over the past week, down from the seven-day average of 855 daily one week ago. Read more.

Brocato Claims Second Term as Hoover Mayor as Jeffco Cities Elect Leaders

UPDATED — When he was elected in 2016, Frank Brocato became the 10th individual to serve as mayor of Hoover. On Tuesday night, the 67-year-old former city fire marshal won an easy victory in his bid for a second four-year mayoral term in Alabama’s sixth most populous city. In an election in which each city council incumbent on the ballot was winning easily Tuesday night, Brocato was leading City Council President Gene Smith III, a former city firefighter and a council member since 2004, by a margin of more than three to one. At about 10:30 p.m., with 20 of the city’s 28 boxes reporting, Brocato had 7,761 votes to 2,414 for Smith. In an interview, Brocato said Smith had called to congratulate him at about 8:30 p.m., by which time the mayor already had built a big lead. Read more.

Results of Tuesday's municipal elections in Jefferson County.

Jefferson County Municipal Election Results

Results of municipal elections Tuesday in Jefferson County. Below is a list of municipal election results. It will be updated during the evening as returns are reported Read more.

Technical Problems Delay Tuesday’s COVID-19 Report

The Alabama Department of Public Health said it was unable to post complete figures Tuesday on the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths from the disease because of technical problems. The agency's daily update on Monday showed 675 new cases for a total of 110,769 since the pandemic began. There were six deaths to raise the total to 1,950. In an emailed statement, the department said it would include complete figures in Wednesday's update. Read more.

Restaurants Are Hardest Hit as Businesses Try to Rebound from Pandemic

This past weekend, the city of Birmingham held its third “Eat in the Streets” event, cordoning off parts of downtown for outdoor restaurant seating. The event was designed to give a revenue boost to restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has diminished customer turnout and placed many restaurants, which operate on razor-thin margins, in danger of closing. But for many Birmingham businesses, it’s already too late. Four months into the pandemic, many closures that owners hoped would be temporary are becoming permanent — consequences of an uncertain future and a tepid federal response. One barometer of COVID-19’s impact on local economies is the consumer website Yelp, which last month reported 132,580 business closures across the country since March 1. A steadily growing percentage of those closures — 55%, or 72,842, as of July 10 — are expected to be permanent. Restaurants are the most affected, Yelp found, with 15,770 permanent closures nationwide. The shopping and retail sector has experienced 12,454 permanent closures, while the beauty industry has seen 4,897. More than 2,400 bars and nightclubs, meanwhile, have shuttered for good since March 1. Read more.

675 New Cases, Six Deaths From COVID-19 Reported Monday

There were 675 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths in Alabama for the 24-hour period ended at 10 a.m. Monday, the state Department of Public Health reported. The state has recorded 110,769 confirmed cases of the disease and 1,950 deaths from it since the pandemic began in mid-March. Another 5,898 cases and 74 deaths are listed as probably being related to the coronavirus. The state is averaging 882 new cases per day over the past week and 812 cases daily over the last 14 days. The two-week average is the lowest since June 30, when the average of 786. Read more.