Coronavirus

Congressional Democrat to Treasury: Alabama ‘Misusing’ COVID-19 Funds for Prisons

Alabama’s plan to use $400 million in federal COVID-19 relief money on new prisons has caught the attention of top Democrats in Congress who moved Monday to try to prevent the expenditure. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, sent a letter to Treasury Department Secretary Janet Yellen asking her to stop Alabama from “misusing” a portion of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation. “Directing funding meant to protect our citizens from a pandemic to fuel mass incarceration is in direct contravention of the intended purposes of the ARP legislation and will particularly harm communities of color who are already disproportionately impacted by over-incarceration and this public health crisis,” Nadler wrote. Alabama legislators, however, said the plan to help fix Alabama’s prison crowding issues is a legitimate use of federal funds sent to states to make up for revenue lost during the pandemic. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

COVID-19 Numbers for Alabama Continue to Tumble

Numbers of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Alabama continued to fall in Tuesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There were 1,984 new cases of the disease in the daily report, raising the total for the pandemic to 792,632. The state has averaged 2,443 new cases a day over the past week, and only 1,737 a day for the last three days. The seven-day average has fallen from 5,538 on Sept. 1 -- the height of the spread of the delta variant. The ADPH death toll for the coronavirus has risen by 99 a day over the past week and now stands at 14,155 overall. The daily average has fallen from 134 last Thursday, Sept. 23. It normally takes about two weeks for a death to be reported to the state and confirmed as being from COVID. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch

Alabama’s COVID Cases, Deaths and Hospitalizations Drop Again

Alabama's COVID-19 numbers continued to show improvement in Saturday's update by the state Department of Public Health as the numbers of coronavirus patients in hospitals and 7-day averages for new cases and deaths declined. ADPH reported 2,937 new cases, dropping the daily average to a level unseen since early August. The agency's figures showed a decline in the death rate to its lowest 7-day average since Tuesday. And the number of people hospitalized for the coronavirus stood at 1,221 below the count on Sept. 1. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch

Alabama Will Follow CDC Guidelines for COVID-19 Booster Shots

The CDC has said a third shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine should be given to people aged 65 years and older, residents in long-term care settings and people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions. It also recommends a booster shot for younger adults with underlying conditions and adults of all ages who work in high-risk settings, such as schools, health care facilities and grocery stores. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

Alabama Records Another Drop in New Cases of COVID-19

The average number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama dropped Friday for the fifth consecutive day, The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 2,569 new cases in its daily update, raising the total for the pandemic to 784,484. The state has averaged 2,806 cases a day over the past week, reflecting a decline for five days in a row. The weekly average is down by 16% since Friday of last week. ADPH reported 123 deaths in its daily update. There have been 13,921 deaths from COVID over the course of the pandemic, and the state averaged 125 a day over the past seven days. The 7-day average was 63 a day the previous Friday. It takes about two weeks for a death to be reported and confirmed as being from the coronavirus. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch

State Reports 133 COVID Deaths, 3,366 New Cases in Thursday Update

Alabama added 3,366 new cases of COVID-19 and 133 deaths from the disease in Thursday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 13,798 deaths from the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic. The average number of deaths added by the ADPH continued to grow, reaching 134 a day in the update Thursday. That is almost seven times the average on 20 deaths a day at the beginning of September. There is a lag time of about two weeks for reporting and confirming COVID deaths, officials say. The state has recorded 781,915 COVID cases so far, averaging 2,864 a day over the past week. The average number of new cases per day has fallen from 5,538 on Sept. 1 to 2,864 on Thursday. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch

Death Rate Continues to Rise, but Numbers of New COVID Cases and Hospitalizations Falls

The downward trend in numbers of new cases and people hospitalized from COVID-19 continued Wednesday, but the death rate rose again in Alabama. The state Department of Public Health added 205 deaths from the coronavirus, raising the daily average to 126 over the past week. There have been 13,665 COVID deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020. The 7-day average has grown by six-fold since starting at 20 at the beginning of September. The Alabama Hospital Association reported 1,857 COVID patients on Tuesday and said 83% of them were unvaccinated. It said1,545 of the state's 1,555 intensive care unit beds were occupied, including 649 patients with the coronavirus. The number of COVID inpatients in hospitals across the state has steadily dropped this month, from 2,890 on Sept. 1. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch

Alabama Added 106 Deaths a Day from COVID-19 Over Past Week

The Alabama Department of Public Health added 250 deaths from COVID-19 in its daily update Tuesday, pushing the total for the pandemic to 13,460. The rate has increased by a record 106 deaths a day over the past week, according to ADPH reports. There had been a lull in reporting over the weekend, so part of the large number of deaths on Tuesday came from catching up with that. Still, officials note that while there is a lag of several days to two weeks in the reporting and confirmation of COVID deaths, the growing 7-day average reflects an increase in the number of people dying from the disease. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Yes, It Is Safe to Get the COVID and Flu Vaccines at the Same Time

Alabama is gearing up for flu season. Health professionals say it's OK to get the COVID-19 vaccine in conjunction with the flu vaccine. Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Pfizer Vaccine Shows Promise for Children from 5 to 11 Years Old, UAB Experts Say

Pfizer released trial results Monday of a COVID vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 that uses one-third the dosage given adults, a move one pediatric expert called a foretaste of developments to come. Pfizer should have the results before the Food and Drug Administration later this month, said Dr. David Kimberlin, professor and co-director of UAB and Children’s of Alabama’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. “(Dr. Anthony) Fauci has said it would be authorized before Halloween,” he added. Pfizer said its study shows “a favorable safety profile and robust neutralizing antibody” for the 5-11 age group.  The study gave Pfizer the results the company wanted to see, Kimberlin said. The study used one-third the adult dosage for children, which was selected for its safety, tolerability and immunogenicity, according to Pfizer. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald