Coronavirus

Decline Reported Sunday in New COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Result of Data Glitch

The Alabama Department of Public Health's daily dashboard reported a significant drop Sunday in the number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Alabama, but officials said that was because of a computer glitch. Reports from labs that process the majority of coronavirus tests did not process, the Health Department said on its Twitter feed. The testing numbers reported Monday morning should include the cases and deaths that were not counted over the weekend. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Total Continues to Grow in Alabama, with Deaths Nearing the 900 Mark

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 grew by 888 in the Alabama Department of Public Health's daily report Saturday, and there were 11 new deaths. There have been 34,605 cases of the disease in Alabama since the pandemic began in mid-March. The daily average of new cases now stands at 742 over the past two weeks and at 782 for the last seven days. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Face Masks Required Throughout Jefferson County, Health Officer Orders

Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson on Friday issued a mandatory mask-wearing order to begin Monday at 5 p.m. in an effort to reduce the increasing number of countywide COVID-19 cases. "The virus is getting worse in Jefferson County, and we are moving in the wrong direction," Wilson said. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Alabama Schools to Open in August, But Parents Have Home Education Option

Updated: Alabama public schools will reopen in August despite the COVID-19 pandemic, but parents will have the option of continuing distance learning for their children, Alabama Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said Thursday. "Campuses will reopen for personal instruction. They will be physically open, with remote learning" available, Mackey said. There also will  be a “blended” learning situation that allows students to transition between traditional and remote instruction as needs arise, he said. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

COVID-19 Cases up by 964 Friday as Spread Continues in Alabama

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued Friday, with authorities reporting 964 new confirmed cases and seven deaths from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health's COVID Dashboard, which updates figures at 10 a.m. daily, showed a total of 33,717 confirmed cases and 887 deaths in the state since the pandemic began in mid-March. Another 453 cases and 16 deaths were listed as probably being from the disease but still being investigated. The case count for the latest 24-hour period was down from Thursday's total of 1,129 cases, the highest one-day increase so far. \ Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Federal Court Refuses to Block Curbside Voting or Loosening of ID Rules on Absentee Ballots in July 14 Runoff

A federal appellate court has refused to allow Alabama’s secretary of state to stand in the way of curbside voting in the July 14 runoff and other measures designed to ease voting for people wary of the coronavirus. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Jefferson County Plans to Set Up COVID-19 Nursing Home Unit

Jefferson County Commissioners today OK’d establishing a dedicated unit to care for nursing home patients who have COVID-19 in one location. The commission authorized an agreement with the UAB board of trustees to establish the unit. The plan calls for Jefferson County to use a portion of its Cares Act funds for this project, which will put patients in a wing of Aspire Physical Recovery Center at Hoover. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Record 1,129 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported for Alabama on Thursday

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama soared to a one-day record of 1,129 on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total for the pandemic to 32,753 cases. The previous high for a single day was 1,014 on June 14, and the daily figures have fluctuated since then, dropping to as low as 390 on June 12. The count on Wednesday at 954. One new death was reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health for the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Thursday. A total of 880 people have died from the disease since the pandemic began in mid-March. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Cases Hit Record High Average for the Past Two Weeks

Alabama’s uphill battle with the COVID-19 outbreak continues, as the 14-day moving average of new daily cases set a new high Wednesday. Alabama’s uphill battle with the COVID-19 outbreak continues, as the 14-day moving average of new daily cases set a new high Wednesday. After turning downward during the middle of the last 7-day period, the number of new cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health zoomed upward in the past couple of days. The 14-day moving average has now surpassed the 700 mark, topping out at 714.14 on Wednesday. The 7-day average moved to 672.89 — a jump of 80 average new daily cases in just 24 hours. While the shorter-term average has gone through peaks and valleys this month, the longer-term average has risen by almost 79% in two weeks’ time. Read more.

by Robert Carter

People Succumbing to COVID Fatigue are Spreading the Virus, UAB Doc Says; NY Tells Alabama Travelers to Quarantine or Go Elsewhere

The biggest challenge to stopping the spread of COVID-19 now is the public's desire to return to the "old normal," Dr. Molly Fleece, UAB assistant professor of infectious diseases, said Wednesday. "Masks work," Fleece said as UAB and other health officials brace for increased summer activities and the Fourth of July. The number of COVID-19 cases in the state rose Wednesday by 954, one of the largest daily increases since the pandemic began, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Fleece said that, over the past 24 hours, Mobile and Lee counties had their highest number of new cases recorded. She said the spike in the number of cases can be attributed to summer travel and COVID fatigue as people just want to go back to their old lifestyles. Also Wednesday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut barred travelers from Alabama from entering without quarantining for 14 days upon arrival. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald