Coronavirus

Alabama Adds 3,187 COVID-19 Cases, 187 Deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health added 3,187 cases and 187 deaths Wednesday to its COVID-19 totals for the state. There have been 410,995 cases of the coronavirus and 5,760 in the state since the pandemic began in March. ADPH on Tuesdsay added 226 deaths to the overall count. Its dashboard said the unusually high number of deaths came from a large number reported by the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, dating back to Nov. 11. The daily update said 38,007 have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 3,076 on Tuesday.  The highest daily number of hospitalizations was 3,084 on Monday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

ADPH Reports 226 Additional COVID-19 Deaths in Alabama

Alabama added 226 deaths from COVID-19 in Tuesday's daily report by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 5,573 deaths from the disease since the pandemic began in March, the agency reported. ADPH's daily updates show the number of deaths reported each day, but officials say there is an average delay of two weeks between the date a death occurs and when when it is reported to the state. The report listed 58 deaths in Jefferson County, bringing its total for the pandemic to 842. The Jefferson County Health Department has reported 87 coronavirus deaths in the county so far this month. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Next Phase of COVID-19 Vaccinations in Jefferson County Could Start Next Week

Jefferson County health officials say efforts to vaccinate people who are most at risk for catching the COVID-19 virus are moving along, and those in the next phase of the process may start to get their shots as early as next week. In a press conference Monday afternoon, Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson said that people in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to as phase 1-a — hospital workers in high-risk environments, emergency medical service personnel and those working or living in long-term care facilities — are moving through the process. Next in line are people in phase 1-b, which includes anyone aged 75 or older plus additional front-line essential workers such as law enforcement and firefighters. If all goes as planned, Wilson said, the county could start putting people in phase 1-b on a list for vaccinations as early as Jan. 19. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Bernard Lockhart’s Work Ethic Fueled His Passion for Jazz and Community-Building

As a kid growing up in Leeds, NBA great Charles Barkley recalls seeing Bernard Lockhart running through the community. At the time, Lockhart was a star point guard on the Leeds High School basketball team with dreams of going pro. “You know how hot it is in the middle of summer, but Bernard was running and training all of the time,” Barkley said. “We just wanted to play ball, but Bernard showed us it takes hard work if you want to be great. He had this amazing work ethic.” Friends and family said Lockhart applied that same ethic in tackling almost every project, especially Magic City Smooth Jazz and its flagship project, Jazz in the Park. Sometimes, he would get up in the middle of the night to scribble his ideas and sketch plans for the nonprofit arts and entertainment series, said his wife, Jackie Lockhart. But then in November, the 59-year-old Lockhart was confronted with a challenge he could not overcome — even with his strong determination to survive. Read more.

by Sherrel Wheeler Stewart

Alabama Averaging 4,242 New Cases of COVID-19 Daily for Past Week

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 4,863 new cases of COVID-19 and 108 deaths in its daily update on Saturday. The state has recorded 399,150 cases of the coronavirus and 5,299 deaths from the disease since the pandemic began in March. The number of new cases per day has averaged 4,242 over the past week. Each of the 67 counties reported new cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hour report. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Friday’s Alabama COVID-19 Update: 5,057 New Cases, 111 Deaths

There were 5,057 new cases of COVID-19 and 111 deaths from the disease in Friday's daily update by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Those additions brought the state's total figures for the pandemic to 394,287 cases and 5,191 deaths. ADPH said said some of the new cases and deaths in Friday's report reflected late reporting from the recent holiday period. Alabama averaged 4,077 new cases a day over the past week. The Health Department said an average of 35% of the coronavirus tests have come back positive during the past seven days. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Deaths in Alabama Top 5,000 Mark

Alabama's COVID-19 death toll climbed above the 5,000 mark on Thursday as the state Department of Public Health added 86 deaths in its daily update. The agency said 5,080 people have died of the disease since the pandemic began in March. The 86 deaths included some that occured over the holiday period last weekend and were reported on a delayed basis. ADPH reported an additional 5,046 new cases of the coronavirus in its 24-hour update, including some that were diagnosed last weekend. There have been 389,230 cases throughout the pandemic. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

As Feared, COVID-19 Numbers Are Rising After Holidays

Health officials feared that the holidays would bring a spike in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and their fears are being realized. In BirminghamWatch’s analysis of Alabama pandemic numbers, all of the major data points are again headed in the wrong direction. The 7-day and 14-day moving averages of new cases are approaching the records set just before Christmas. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Hotels, Recovery Rooms and Waiting Rooms Pressed Into Service as UAB’s Patient Load Rises

UAB Hospital is taking extraordinary steps to continue caring for all of its patients as it deals with an onslaught of COVID-19 cases. Recovery rooms, normally used for just a few hours after a patient has had a procedure, now are being used for care overnight and sometimes for two nights. For patients who normally would stay a night for observation after a procedure, UAB is using rooms in hotels near the hospital. An emergency room waiting area has been set aside to hold 10 stretchers with COVID-positive patients needing emergency treatment. “You have to be very creative and look for safe, appropriate space to take care of patients that, under normal times, you wouldn’t make that choice,” Hospital CEO Anthony Patterson said in a press conference Wednesday. “What happens when you completely run out of space? We haven’t hit that point yet, and I think that’s the one thing that we are all fearful of in terms of increasing numbers of patients coming to the hospital. … Hopefully that will not happen.” Read more.

by Robert Carter

Woodfin Released From Hospital, Recovering From COVID

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has been released from the hospital two days after being admitted with COVID-related pneumonia. While his condition has improved, Woodfin will work from home and stay self-quarantined. According to a Wednesday afternoon press release, doctors at Princeton Baptist Medical Center found “COVID pneumonia” in the mayor’s left lung. “I’m blessed they caught it early,” Woodfin said in a statement. He received the drug Remdesivir and convalescent plasma therapy to combat the illness. Read more.

by Sam Prickett