Coronavirus

Sharp Rise in Alabama COVID-19 Numbers Causing Alarm

With the number of new daily cases of COVID-19 up by almost half and the number of deaths reported each day up by more than 80% in two weeks’ time, the concern over a so-called “second wave” of infections is increasing. In this week’s BirminghamWatch analysis of coronavirus data, all numbers have taken a sharp turn for the worse. The 7-day average of daily new cases jumped from 1,438.71 two weeks ago to 2,121.29 on Wednesday, an increase of 48.3% and the highest level since the pandemic began. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Jones Pleads With Public to Follow COVID Safety Guidelines as Cases, Deaths Increase

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones on Wednesday urged people to listen to health care officials’ advice on the coronavirus, not the opinions of politicians. “We have now seen another surge in cases,” Jones said during a press conference with UAB’s Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo. “You will all recall that beginning last April, I kept admonishing folks, ‘Please, please listen to our health care professionals. Do not listen to politicians. Do not listen to anyone other than our health care professionals.’ “What we’ve seen come to pass is exactly what our health care professionals have said,” Jones continued. “As we get into the colder months, as we get into the winter, as people let their guard down and get a little COVID fatigue, we are going to see a rise in cases, and we are seeing a dangerous rise in cases at this point, more than we anticipated and more than we even saw in the summer.” Read more.

by Michelle Love

Rising COVID-19 Cases Starting to Strain Hospital Resources, Staff

Hospitals across the state are feeling the strain of a growing number of COVID-19 cases but are managing to keep up with patient needs, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association said Tuesday. “We are in a very precarious and potentially dangerous place right now in dealing with COVID cases,” said Dr. Don Williamson, a former state health officer who heads the Hospital Association. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Commission OKs Cares Act Funding in Quick Session

Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission was so fast you would have thought commissioners were trying to beat a deadline. In a sense, they were. As they have for months, commissioners continued their efforts to dole out federal funds related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The light agenda included 18 resolutions from county manager Tony Petelos to distribute Cares Act funds to help cities, towns and entities in the county address needs of citizens that arose from COVID-19. Petelos said the items that were moved to Thursday’s meeting agenda leave just a few who have not gotten requested money. “We’ll have those next meeting,” Petelos said. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Birmingham Council Balks at Mayor’s Plan to Bring Back Some Workers, Wants More Information

The Birmingham City Council is mulling a proposal from Mayor Randall Woodfin to bring back up to 132 furloughed city employees by taking $7 million from the city’s reserve fund. The proposal also would reinstate two paid holidays and reverse some salary reductions to appointed staff, both of which, like the furloughs, had been cut due to a city budget shortfall caused by COVID-19. Although Finance Director Lester Smith assured councilors he was confident the money would be reimbursed with Cares Act funding that is awaiting action by the Jefferson County Commission, the proposal was met with deep skepticism from councilors, who criticized the proposal’s lack of detail and argued that it could damage the city’s financial standing. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Longtime Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver Would Have Done Just About Anything for His Little City

If you were in Clanton on Monday, you might have noticed signs of a celebration dedicated to the city’s late mayor, Billy Joe Driver, who died July 9 of COVID-19. There might have been a few people raising a glass to him on what should have been his 85th birthday. It would be entirely appropriate, although Driver was a teetotaler. You see, much of the prosperity around you in this peach capital of Alabama came as a result of Driver’s laser-focused absorption with making Clanton a better place to live and work, and part of that came down to alcohol sales. Read more.

by Nancy Wilstach

COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Soar to Record Number

Alabama recorded its highest number of new cases of COVID-19 ever on Friday, with the state Department of Public Health reporting 2,980 total cases for the latest 24-hour period. There were 18 more deaths from the disease and a steady rise in the number of people being treated for the virus in Alabama hospitals. State and federal health officials have raised alarm over the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across the nation in recent days, and they have cautioned against another surge as people gather for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Nationwide, the number of new cases has grown from 100,000 a day eight days ago to a record 160,000 on Thursday, The New York Times reported. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Concerns Raised About COVID at Horizon Church Polling Place After Worker Tests Positive

Voters who cast their ballots last week at Horizon Church had to endure some very long lines. Now they’ll have to endure concern about possible exposure to COVID-19. A press release from the office of Jefferson County county manager Tony Petelos says there is a chance persons who voted at Precinct 5120, otherwise known as Horizon Church in Vestavia Hills, on Election Day may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. Coincidentally, that is the polling place of Jefferson County Presiding Probate Judge James P. Naftel II, who fielded an Election Day call from his wife about her waiting in the line or returning later. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Rapid Rise of Alabama, National COVID-19 Numbers Worries UAB Doctor

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo has been taking a close look at the recent data in the ongoing COVID-19 battle, and they have her worried. “(They are) astonishing numbers that I hope people do not become numb to,” Marrazzo, the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases for UAB Medicine, said as she opened an online press conference Wednesday morning. The numbers have been increasing steadily over the past few weeks, with new cases across the nation surpassing 140,000 Tuesday and deaths coming in at roughly 1,500. Alabama has followed suit, with 2,070 new cases and 81 new deaths reported Wednesday. However, as many as half of the deaths were reported at an earlier time and were added to the count after being investigated, an Alabama Department of Public Health official said in an email. Additionally, the number of patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 has increased significantly, both in the state and nationwide. Read more.

by Robert Carter

ADPH in Ongoing Battle to Make Sure COVID-19 Test Reports Are Clear, Timely

Elected officials, business leaders, school systems and news media — among others — keep a close eye on the numbers of Alabama COVID-19 cases every day, with a wary watch on trends the data might indicate. When those numbers suddenly spike on a single day, as they sometimes have in the past couple of weeks, many people may scratch their heads in confusion or fear. The explanation in almost all cases is one of bureaucracy. In not-so-technical terms, it’s a “data dump.” The great majority of results of tests given by hospitals and county health departments, and those processed in larger quantities by laboratories, go through the system swiftly and almost untouched by human hands. But with the onset of the pandemic, there are many medical establishments that have conducted public COVID-19 testing but weren’t aware that they were required to report all test results to the state. When ADPH discovers these entities, it requires them to report all their testing, sometimes resulting in the addition of hundreds of cases from past weeks. Read more.

by Robert Carter