The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee is expected to debate and vote on the 2021 General Fund budget on Tuesday. Legislative leaders late last week said their session, on pause since mid-March because of the coronavirus, would resume May 4. But Senate budget committee chairman Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, said that lawmakers need to set an example for the rest of the state. Read more.
The double whammy of pandemic and job loss has left Birmingham-area food banks scrambling to provide sustenance to the needy. Some food banks have closed, especially in rural counties. Others have extended the time between food giveaways. Compounding a drop in donated food is a lack of volunteers to help pack and deliver the food. This comes at a time when the need for food is increasing. The Salvation Army has reported four times as many people seeing food assistance. State officials also have seen a rapid increase in the number of applicants seeking food benefits. The Greater Birmingham Ministries usually gives three brown bags of groceries to about 60 families each week. Last week more than a hundred showed up seeking food. “We had to turn people away,” said Sarah Price, direct services coordinator at the ministries. “We referred them to other charities.” Read more.
Donations to the Community Food Bank can be made at www.feedingal.org, or checks cab be sent to 107 Walter Davis Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209. Monetary and food donations can be made to the Greater Birmingham Ministries at www.gbm.org. The Salvation Army donations can be made at BirminghamSalvationArmy.org or by mail to the Salvation Army, PO
Alabama had 6,467 confirmed cases of COVID-19 today. Six more people were reported to have died from the disease Sunday, bringing the total to 219. Overall, 861 people have been hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis since the first case was reported March 13, more than a third of whom have been treated in ICUs, according to Alabama Department of Public Health data. Read more.
Mountain Brook Creamery shares encouraging words at its store in Mountain Brook Village.
Alabama had 6,213 confirmed cases of COVID-19 early Sunday, 187 cases more than the day before. Deaths in the state also rose by four, to 213. Another 71 people were hospitalized, bringing the total number of people hospitalized since the pandemic began to 840, according to Alabama Department of Public Health data. Read more.
As Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says increased coronavirus testing is needed to consider lifting pandemic protocols, data show the state lags behind most of its Southeast neighbors in testing. Alabama had tested 1.07% of its population as of April 24 through a combination of public, private and academic testing labs, according to an analysis of Department of Public Health data. A new Harvard study suggests the state would need to increase its testing more than threefold to get an adequate handle on the coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases director, said Alabama has yet to see a downturn in new cases, though increases have slowed somewhat. “We’re continuing to see probably a 5% increase in cases every day,” Marrazzo said. “It’s not trivial in a state with a relatively small population that is doing limited testing. It’s definitely not over yet. It’s too early to say that we have reached our peak.” Marrazzo is also concerned about the distribution of tests in the state, as areas such as the Black Belt and the Wiregrass are charting lower testing rates than more urban counties. Alabama needs more diagnostic data to be strategic in the coming weeks, and the majority of its 67 counties have tested less than 1% of residents. Read more.
UAB Hospital is taking a financial hit from COVID-19. Officials announced Friday a projected loss of $70 million per month due to fewer clinical visits, elective surgeries and hospital stays. Read more.
The count of COVID-19 cases in Alabama had risen to 6,026 by early Saturday morning, and deaths to 209. Read more.
Alabamians filed 331,670 unemployment claims in a four-week period that began in mid-March, the Alabama Department of Labor said Thursday. During the week of April 12-18, 66,432 initial unemployment claims were made, with 59,527 of those related to loss of work because of the coronavirus, according to ADOL. Manufacturing jobs accounted for 9,770 of those claims, followed by accommodations and food services with 6,685 and retail trade with 5,540. Health care and social assistance accounted for 5,367 of the claims. Read more.
