Glenn Stephens

COVID-19 Spread Reaches Record Pace in Alabama

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued at a record pace over the past week, according to Friday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There were 5,128 new cases on Friday, raising the total for the pandemic to 714,860. The state has averaged 4,719 new cases a day over the past week, eclipsing the record of 4,705 set on Thursday. The highest seven-day average before then was 4,381 on Jan. 10. There have been 12,394 deaths from Covid, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health Covid dashboard. The agency on Friday reported 64 new deaths, compared to Thursday’s 32 deaths, for a seven- day average 34. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Labor Day, Football Crowds Create ‘Perfect Storm’ for COVID-19 Surge

The Labor Day holiday and the start of football season are creating a perfect storm for the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, especially in Alabama with its low vaccination rate, doctors at UAB warned Thursday. It’s important to make good choices to avoid contracting the virus, two UAB doctors said. Typically, there has a been spike in the number of Covid cases about 10 days after each holiday, said Dr. Suzanne Judd, professor and epidemiologist in the UAB School of Public Health. Although it’s generally more important to wear masks indoors than outdoors, she said, “If people are gathered, wear a mask.” Judd said the start of football season raises the risk of a major the spread of the Delta variant because people are seated close together in stadiums, and there is yelling and screaming that forces saliva from mouths.  Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Moment of Silence Planned for COVID-19 Victims; 5,312 New Cases Reported Thursday

A statewide moment of silence will be held at noon Tuesday to remember the more than 12,000 people who have died from Covid in Alabama. Alabamians are encouraged to think of those who died and their families, along with healthcare workers caring for Covid patients, according to observation planners from UAB and the Alabama Hospital Association. As of Thursday, 12,330 deaths from the coronavirus were reported in Alabama, including 39 added in the Alabama Department of Public Health’s daily update. The state has averaged 17 Covid deaths a day over the past week. ADPH reported 5,312 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing total for the pandemic to 709,732. There’s been an average of 3,409 a day over the past seven days. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Fewer Alabama High School Grads Going Straight to College; Higher Ed Advertising Options

The number of students graduating from Alabama high schools and entering state universities and colleges dipped by 5% in 2020 to 41%. While that decrease can in part be blamed on COVID-19-caused disruptions, it’s also part of a larger decline that education officials say is a sign of a strong economy. In 2011, 53% of high school graduates went directly to in-state colleges. “I think it mostly can be attributed since 2011 to an improvement in the economy,” Jim Purcell, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, said. Post-Great Recession, more jobs have been available to people right out of high school. But as the state works to find more skilled workers, higher education leaders are trying new ways to reach them. Purcell said that as people’s careers advance or manufacturing jobs become more automated, training and courses are available. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Alabama Universities Try Vaccine Incentives to Boost Shots

Four-year universities in Alabama are using incentive programs to get their campus populations vaccinated against COVID-19 as students return to campuses. The state’s two largest universities, along with several other schools, have incentive programs. Students are not required to show proof of vaccination to go to universities in Alabama, thanks to a law passed earlier this year by the Alabama Legislature. But schools can still offer perks to encourage vaccinations. Community colleges around the state are also participating in incentive programs. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Total Alabama COVID Cases Surpass 700,000, Jefferson County Passes 100,000 as New-Case Averages Set Records

Alabama has reached another milestone in the COVID-19 outbreak, as the total of infections to date is now more than 700,000. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of statewide pandemic data, the latest milestone was reached Wednesday when 4,691 new cases were reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health. It has been just 27 days since the cumulative total passed the 600,000 mark, due primarily to the continuing march of the Delta variant throughout the nation. In Jefferson County, total cases also crossed a major threshold in the past week. On Friday, the cumulative county total passed 100,000 since the outbreak began, and it stood at 101,613 on Wednesday. The 7-day moving average of new daily cases in the county has increased to 709, just short of the all-time high of 752 just before last Christmas. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Knight Elected Vice President of State County Commissions Association

Joe Knight was bearing gifts when he arrived at Tuesday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commission. The District 4 commissioner brought awards from the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. But beyond the awards – which included administrator of the year for retiring County Manager Tony Petelos – Knight had a prize he received, having been elected vice president of the state body of county commissions. “We haven't had anybody from Jefferson County in over 20 years who has been involved as an officer of that organization,” Knight said. “I, along with some encouragement from some people, decided to put my name in the hat, was nominated and then was elected last Thursday.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Alabama Adds 61 COVID-19 Deaths, 5,206 New Cases

State health officials reported Tuesday an additional 61 deaths from Covid, bringing the total since last Thursday in Alabama to 180. The state has recorded 12,283 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began. The number of Covid cases in 2020 and 2021 in Alabama is fast approaching 700,000, with the total reaching 699,729 on Tuesday, when the Alabama Department of Public Health reported 5,206 new cases. Across the state, there were 2,866 Covid patients at 104 hospitals Tuesday. The number of patients  increased by 62 since Monday. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Early Numbers in Hand, Reapportionment Committee Starts Public Hearings Wednesday

Armed with new information about which districts gained and lost residents, the committee redrawing the Alabama House and Senate, Congressional and board of education maps will begin public hearings Wednesday. The hearings will be held at community colleges and can be attended in person and observed online. A complete schedule and links can be found here. Months-long delays in the 2020 gathering of census data has meant lags in getting states their new population numbers, delaying the reapportionment process that happens every 10 years. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Daily Average for New COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Stands at 4,124

Alabama added an average of 4,124 new cases of COVID-19 a day over the past week, the state Department of Public Health reported Monday. The agency’s daily Covid update listed 3,072 new cases, bringing the state’s total for the pandemic to 694,523. There have been 12,222 deaths from the coronavirus in Alabama; no deaths were reported on Monday. Nationally, a University of Texas model of Covid deaths predicted that 100,000 more people will die between now and Dec. 1. The Centers for Disease Control reports that 636,015 people have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began in March 2020. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald