Coronavirus

Work Release Suspension Has Hurt the Pockets of Inmates, Prisons and Victims

UPDATED — Responding to the coronavirus, the Alabama Department of Corrections suspended its work release program in mid-March, and figures for May show how that decision has led to a drastic drop in inmate earnings, the amount of restitution that work release inmates pay to their victims, and the amount of inmate earnings that goes to corrections itself. Payments to victims were cut by almost $100,000 in May, which includes some time before the program was suspended, compared to February. Money to corrections was cut more than $700,000, and $534,000 less was deposited to inmates’ accounts. Read more.

by Tom Gordon

UAB to Start Human Trial on COVID-19 Vaccine Next Month

UAB researchers said today that they will begin Phase II human trials next month on a vaccine for COVID-19 developed by Oxford University with pharmaceutical giant AstroZeneca. About 500 participants will receive the vaccine locally as part of a nationwide trial of 33,000 participants. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Skip the Politics, Wear a Mask, Jefferson County Commissioner Knight Says

Before Tuesday’s Jefferson County Commission committee meeting, Joe Knight asked fellow commissioner Steve Ammons how he felt. When Ammons, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said he felt fine, Knight quipped, “You don’t look very good.” Today, as Ammons again watched the commission meeting in Bessemer online from home, Knight appealed to everyone to wear a mask to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Alabama Reports a Record 2,283 New Cases of COVID-19 on Thursday

There was a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases overnight in Alabama, with a record 2,283 cases reported Thursday by the state Department of Public Health. The daily report marked only the third time the state has recorded more than 2,000 cases for a 24-hour period. The count was up from 1,338 the previous day and raised the state's total number of cases to 72,696 since the pandemic began in mid-March. Another 1,400 cases were listed as "probable" for the disease but still being investigated.  There were 32 deaths reported in the daily count, raising the state's overall total to 1,357, plus 39 listed as probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Cases Up, Deaths Up, COVID-19 Continues to Grow in Alabama Week Over Week

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues throughout the nation, Alabama’s numbers in new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and positivity rates are reaching new highs — and causing some states to suggest or mandate that people who visit Alabama undergo a quarantine upon return. In BirminghamWatch’s weekly analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the 7-day moving average of new cases for the period ending July 22 has jumped to 1,741.14 per day. That’s up by 55 cases per day. Earlier in the week, the 7-day average set a new record of 1,851. The longer-term 14-day moving average stands at a record high of 1,713.50. The state has a total of 70,413 positive cases, a hike of 12,188 cases from seven days beforehand. The total is doubling about every 23 days, and Alabama remains on track to reach 100,000 positive cases on or about Aug. 3. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham Schools Announce Online-Only Learning for First 9 Weeks

UPDATED — Dr. Mark Sullivan announced in a Wednesday press conference that all Birmingham City Schools would be starting the school year virtually on Aug. 24. Sullivan, the interim superintendent for BCS, made the announcement with Birmingham Board of Education members. All learning will be online for the first nine-week grading period. BCS will evaluate the safety of returning to in-person learning after that. “This decision was not made lightly, but at this juncture I believe it is our best option to assure the quality of education that we have for our students and to maintain a safe, nurturing environment for all of our students,” Sullivan said. Read more.

by Jackson Sharman

Record 57 Deaths From COVID-19 Reported Wednesday in Alabama

A record 57 people died of COVID-19 in Alabama during the 24-hour period reported Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health. The deaths, spread over 29 of the state's 67 counties, pushed the total since the pandemic began in mid-March to 1,325. Alabama is now averaging 21 deaths a day over the last two weeks. The highest single-day figures had been 47 deaths on July 15 and 40 on July 14. The Health Department's COVID-19 Dashboard also showed 1,338 new confirmed cases of the disease over the past day, raising the overall number to 70,413. The state is averaging 1,741 new cases daily for the past seven days and 1,713 a day over the last two weeks. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

More Than 15% of COVID-19 Tests in Jefferson County are Positive

This past week, 1,700 new individuals per day have been tested for the coronavirus in Jefferson County, with an average of 278 people a day testing positive and two a day dying. Those numbers give the county a positivity rate that tops 15%, the highest of any one week so far during the pandemic, county Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson said in a briefing Tuesday. Hospitals in Jefferson County are caring for 275 patients with the virus; 110 of those are in intensive care units and 52 on ventilators, Wilson said. Read more.

by By Virginia MacDonald

Alabama’s COVID-19 Count Drops to Lowest Number in 11 Days

Alabama recorded 1,364 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the lowest count in 11 days and well below the daily average for the past two weeks. There 11 deaths during the 24-hour period reported on the Alabama Department of Public Health's COVID-19 Dashboard. The number of confirmed new cases of the disease was the lowest since July 10, when 1407 cases were reported. The state is averaging 1,804 cases and 19 deaths daily over the last seven days and 1,701 cases and almost 19 deaths for the past two weeks. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Another 1,846 Cases of COVID-19 Reported Monday in Alabama

There were 1,846 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Alabama on Monday by the state Department of Public Health. The number of confirmed new cases of the disease brought the state's total to 67,711 since the pandemic began in mid-March. An additional 1,146 people were listed as probable, but as yet unconfirmed, cases. The state's COVID-19 Dashboard, in its daily 10 a.m. update, also listed three new deaths from the disease, bringing the statewide total to 1,257, plus 33 others listed as probable but still being investigated. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch