As Alabama’s mandate on wearing face masks comes to a close, the numbers for new COVID cases and deaths continue to fall, with new-case averages now below those last reported in June of last year.

In Birmingham Watch’s periodic analysis of COVID data, the 7-day average of new cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health is now at 382.43 per day, a drop of more than 100 over the past seven days. It’s the first time that average has dropped below 400 since June 9, 2020.

The longer-term 14-day average, which is less susceptible to fluctuations from data spikes, is now at 436.94 new cases per day. The last time this average was that low was on June 11. The average is down by 85 cases per day over the past week, or 16.3%.
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Alabama has added 1,400 cases of coronavirus since Friday and four more people died of the disease. Read more.

COVID-19 poses an increased threat to the 18% of Americans who live in multigenerational households, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.

The analysis of every county in the United States shows that people of color, who are at greater risk from the virus for a variety of factrors, a far more likelky to be living in the same home as older relatives.

A handful of states have reconized the threat to multigenerational households and have prioritized the distribution of vaccines according. The state of Washington was the first to put such households near the top of its COVID-19 vaccine priority list.
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There were 442 new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama in Friday’s update by the state Department of Public Health, dropping the daily average for the past week to 429.

That was the lowest seven-day average since a count of 425 cases a day last June 8. The figure has dropped from a high of 4,280 cases a day on Jan. 10. The state has recorded 513,580 cases since the pandemic began last March.

ADPH listed 19 deaths in the 24-hour update, bringing the total to 10,523 over the course of the pandemic.
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The positive trend for COVID-19 in Alabama continued Thursday, with the state Department of Public Health reporting 427 new cases over the past 24 hours.

There have been 513,138 cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began a year ago. The state has averaged 441 cases a day over the past week, less than half the average of 964 one month earlier.

The number of people being treated for COVID-19 in 111 Alabama hospitals stood at 397 on Wednesday. That is down from 422 a week ago and 776 on the same date in February.
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Alabama’s COVID-19 numbers continue to improve, dropping to levels not seen since last summer.

In Birmingham Watch’s periodic analysis of COVID data, the 7-day average of new cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health is down to 490.86 per day. That’s the lowest average seen since June 10 of last year, and a fall of better than 88% since the peak level on Jan. 10. The longer-term 14-day average is slightly higher at 521.86 new cases per day.

Similarly, the death toll is also seeing a decline, with both the 7-day and 14-day moving averages dropping below 20 for the first time since last November. The 7-day mark stands at 17.71, its lowest since early December and down 88% from the record high set on Jan. 26. The 14-day average of 18.93 is off by about the same percentage from the peak in early February.
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Eligible Alabamians in these 24 rural counties can receive a free COVID-19 vaccine beginning Tuesday. Read more.

Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines expands this week in Alabama to include people 55 and over, people 16 and older with high-risk medical conditions, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and more critical workers.

The qualifying medical conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, smoking, obesity, sickle cell disease and heart conditions.

“We have been concerned that many people at high risk and others engaged in close contact work have not been eligible to receive the vaccine yet, but with the additional vaccine supply we are better able to meet the needs of Alabama residents,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. “Starting March 22, individuals can be assured of receiving the shots they have been patiently waiting to get.”
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