Coronavirus

Black Belt Counties Rank Worst in COVID-19 Cases Per Capita

It’s a longstanding problem for the counties that make up Alabama’s Black Belt — named for the black, fertile soil used to grow cotton but also home to a large share of the state’s Black population. The counties suffer high rates or poverty and poor health, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the worst of both issues. While the counties that are home to the state’s largest metro areas have seen large raw numbers of positive tests since the outbreak began in March, the Black Belt counties and a handful of counties in the northern part of the state have seen numbers that show their residents are proportionally more hard-hit than those in the Big 4 counties. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Amid Record COVID-19 Cases, Near-Capacity Hospitals Prep For July 4th Influx

With COVID-19 patients already filling beds at a record pace, hospitals across Alabama are bracing for an influx of people infected at Fourth of July gatherings. Statewide hospitalizations Wednesday were 1,110, the highest number yet, Dr. Don Williamson, president and CEO of the Alabama Hospital Association said Thursday. The state also had 163 admissions, the highest one-day number of new patients due to COVID-19. The state was down to 206 intensive care unit beds available, which is 12% of capacity, the lowest rate yet during the pandemic. “The concern is that all the numbers we are using to monitor the outbreak moved in the wrong direction,” Williamson said. Read more.

by Scott Morris

Alabama Records 35 COVID-19 Deaths, the Most in a Single Day

Alabama recorded 35 deaths from COVID-19, the most in one day since the pandemic began, in the state Department of Public Health's daily dashboard on Friday. The death toll was the highest for a single day since 26 people died of the disease on June 8. For July, an average of 13 people a day had died of the disease through Thursday. The number of confirmed cases of the disease grew by 1,304 for the 24-hour period to raise Alabama's overall total to 49,892. That was down significantly from the 2,164 reported Thursday. Another 586 cases and 26 deaths are listed as probably, but not yet confirmed, from COVID-19. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Count Surges by Record Daily Increase of 2,164 Cases in Alabama

With four counties accounting for 41% of the growth, Alabama on Thursday recorded by far its biggest increase in the number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March. There were 2,164 new cases of the disease during the latest 24-hour period, the Alabama Department of Public Health's COVID Dashboard showed. That was up from 1,161 on Wednesday and eclipsed the previous record of 1,758 on June 29. The overall total now stands at 48,588 cases, plus 522 listed as probably resulting from the coronavirus but not yet confirmed. There were 10 deaths during the period, raising the overall total for the pandemic to 1,042, plus 26 cases listed as probably from the disease. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 New-Case Averages Top 1,000 Per Day for First Time

Alabama reached an unwelcome milestone in its battle with the COVID-19 virus, as the number of new cases reported each day has passed the 1,000 mark in moving averages for the first time. The BirminghamWatch weekly analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health shows that the 7-day moving average of new cases has jumped to 1,140.29 per day, the second highest since the outbreak began; the average peaked at 1,212.29 on July 5. The longer-term 14-day moving average now stands at a record high of 1,057.14, after surpassing 1,000 two days prior. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Another Rise in COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Alabama Reported Wednesday

The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in Alabama rose again Wednesday, led by the Birmingham area. There were 1,161 confirmed new cases of the disease, along with 25 deaths, during the 24-hour period reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health on Wednesday morning. Another 522 cases and 26 deaths are listed as probably from COVID-19 but still under study. The state has recorded 46,464 confirmed cases and 1,032 deaths since the pandemic began in March. Jefferson County reported 201 new cases and sixth deaths, bringing its totals to 5,687 cases and 161 deaths. Shelby County added 57 cases for a total of 1,414, and its death toll remained 24. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Fauci Says Alabama Still Could Rein in COVID-19, Even as Cases Spread Among Young People

Dr. Anthony Fauci said even though Alabama has seen a rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases since Memorial Day, the state now has “a window of opportunity” to slow the virus outbreak. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday in a press conference with Alabama Sen. Doug Jones that the methods to slow the spread of virus are known: washing hands, wearing masks, social distancing and closing bars. “Indoor bars are the perfect setup for the virus to spread,” he said. The reopening of bars and resumption of large events with little social distance has put younger people in the virus’ cross hairs. Last month, Jones said, the median age of virus victims in the state dropped 15 years. In Alabama, the largest portion of people testing positive for the disease is now those in the 25- to 49-year age range. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Toll Tops the 1,000 Mark

Alabama recorded a drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, the state Department of Public Health reported. But there were 23 deaths reported in the report for the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll since the pandemic began to 1,007. The 24-hour total was the most deaths reported since there were 25 on June 24. The had been one death reported on Saturday, and none on Sunday and Monday. The new figures pushed the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 t0o 45,263 since the pandemic began in March. Another 503 cases ad 23 deaths were listed as probably from the disease but not confirmed. The state had reported 1,091 cases on Sunday and 925 on Monday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Number of New Cases of COVID-19 Down Slightly in Alabama; No New Deaths

Alabama recorded 925 new cases of COVID-19 but no new deaths in Monday's daily report by the state Department of Public Health. The 24-hour increase was down from the count of 1,091 on Sunday and 997 on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic began in March at 44,375, plus 503 listed as probably from the disease but not confirmed. The total number of deaths remained at 984 for the second consecutive day. Another 23 deaths are listed as probably from COVID-19 Jefferson County, which leads the state in number of cases and deaths, was the only county to report a triple-digit increase in the 24-hour report on Monday. The county had 189 new cases raising its total to 5410. Its death count remained at 152. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Number of Cases Increases Again but No New Deaths from COVID-19 in Alabama

Alabama recorded 1,091 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the health officials reported no new deaths for the latest 24-hour period. The number of cases since the pandemic began in March rose to 43,450, but the death toll remained 984, according to the daily report on the Alabama Department of Public Health's COVID dashboard. The agency said another 503 cases and 23 deaths were listed as probably resulting from the disease but not yet confirmed. The state averaged 1,212 new cases a day for the past week and 989 a day for the past 14 days. The averages on Wednesday had been 979 cases per day over seven days and 823 daily over 14 days. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch