Coronavirus

Getting Out of China

Birmingham-Southern College student Griffith Hawk did not intend to leave China so abruptly, but when the pandemic started to make its way across the country, he didn’t have a choice. Studying Mandarin Chinese in a college in the southeastern city of Guilin, Hawk was on winter break, visiting Beijing, when coronavirus got real for him. “At the end of January, I was given a notice, basically by the people who are organizing the language program I was on, and my school, that I had five days to get out of the country,” he recalled. “So I had to get back to my dorm in the south part of China, from the north, in a day and pack and then get home. “At that point I was told I would be able to return. But it became pretty quickly apparent that I was unable to return.” Hawk made it out of China without getting infected by COVID-19. And although he got back home unscathed, his experience gives a glimpse into how China changed quickly into a country in lockdown as the virus began to make inroads — before it changed the lives of people around the globe in such a dramatic and evolving fashion. Read more. More Stories From the Pandemic Facing Life With Celebration, Caution After COVID-19 Recovery Birmingham Health Care Worker Who Caught Virus ‘Had a Feeling That Things Weren’t Normal’

Alabama COVID-19 Cases Up to 14,478, Deaths at 551

COVID-19 cases in Alabama rose to 14,478 by late Sunday, 329 more cases than had been reported late Saturday. Deaths were up by two, for a total of 551. Read more.

Opinions Vary on Possible Special Session, but Outstanding Issues Are Plenty

MONTGOMERY — Hundreds of proposed bills, including high-priority prison and economic development proposals, died when the coronavirus outbreak upended the Alabama Legislature's 2020 regular session. Now, when the House and Senate will return to Montgomery for a special session and what topics they’ll address are still up in the air. Some Senate leaders, frustrated by the final days of the condensed session, say they don't see a reason to return to Montgomery this year. But others said there is business left to handle, including extending a job creation tax credit that in recent years has helped lure companies like Toyota-Mazda, Amazon, Google and Shipt to Alabama. The Alabama Jobs Act, the state's primary industrial recruitment statute, is expiring at the end of the year. Read more.

State’s COVID-19 Cases Count Tops 14,000; 549 People Have Died

On Saturday, 479 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed and eight more people died from the virus. The increase brings the state’s totals to 14,149 cases and 549 deaths, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. In the past 14 days, 4,496 more people have been diagnosed with the disease. Read more.

Alabama Adds 256 COVID-19 Cases, 12 Deaths on Friday

Alabama reported an increase of 256 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths late Friday night. The increase brings the state’s totals to 13,670 cases and 541 deaths, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. It’s a definite increase but a smaller one than the state has seen in recent days. Late Wednesday night, the state’s seven-day average of new cases was 336. Read more.

Amid Statewide Reopening, Jefferson County Keeps Entertainment Venues Closed

Entertainment venues across Alabama reopened Friday, but not in the state’s most populous county. Read more.

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Active COVID-19 Infections at Nichols Vet Home Down to 9

The coronavirus has hit the Bill Nichols State Veterans Home in Alexander City like a public health tsunami. Since April 8, 91 of its residents, more than half of its residential population, have tested positive for the virus, and 23 of them have died. But by Friday, following a second round of virus testing at the home, the number of Nichols residents who tested positive was down to nine. “This is a significant and promising downward trend,” a Friday news release from the state Department of Veterans Affairs stated. It also added that 12 of the 41 Nichols home employees who had earlier tested positive for the virus had recovered and returned to work. Read more.

Facing Life With Celebration, Caution After COVID-19 Recovery

It might sound strange to be thankful for two weeks of coughing, fatigue, headaches and shortness of breath. But 45-year-old Sherri Ross was because she knew having asthma put her at high risk for a much worse case of COVID-19 than she had. “I had a very mild case and I’m very thankful for that,” Ross said. Since she received test results that cleared her of the virus on April 21, Ross said she’s been finding ways, even in self-isolation, to celebrate. “I’m having a party now. I bought roller skates. I bought a karaoke mic … I’m having the best time ever,” she said. However, the fear of catching the coronavirus again or spreading it to someone else is real. Ross said she is armed with a mask and gloves wherever she goes, and she is careful to avoid being close to people. Read more. More Stories From the Pandemic

Birmingham Health Care Worker Who Caught Virus ‘Had a Feeling That Things Weren’t Normal’

Alabama Unemployment Rate Hit 12.9% in April

Alabama's unemployment rate hit 12.9% in April, the Department of Labor announced Friday. April's rate is the first full monthly measure that incorporates the true extent of the job losses occurring due to the coronavirus pandemic. March's unemployment rate was 3.0%. Read more.