Health Care

Q&A With UAB Med School Dean Selwyn Vickers: Pandemic “Significantly” Shutting Down Clinical Trial Enterprise

Dr. Selwyn Vickers, UAB senior vice-president and dean of the School of Medicine, is a busy person as he deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. But BirminghamWatch caught a few minutes with him Thursday to ask a quick series of questions. He said precautions being taken to stem the spread of COVID-19 have virtually shut down many research projects. The hospital is lower than usual on some supplies, but the stock is generally holding its own. And the pandemic is teaching administrators lessons that could be useful with operations going forward. Read more.

by Hank Black

Coronavirus Peaks In Alabama On April 20. Here’s What To Expect

In four days, coronavirus is expected to peak in Alabama. That’s according to projections that predict the state will have its highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on that day. As of Thursday afternoon, there were 553 hospitalizations related to COVID-19, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. UAB Hospital has been preparing to ensure it has enough ICU beds and ventilators ahead of Monday’s peak. For more, we checked in for a Q & A with Dr. Sarah Nafziger, an emergency physician and co-director of UAB Hospital’s Emergency Management Committee about how things are looking. Read more.

by Gigi Douban, WBHM

New Coalition Pushes for Medicaid Expansion, Republicans Remain Reluctant

The spread of COVID-19 and the strain it has placed on Alabama’s health care system has inspired a new coalition to push for Medicaid expansion in the state, but support from Republican leadership still seems doubtful. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

UAB’s Pastoral Care Team Counsels Health Care Workers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Hospital chaplains usually show comfort to patients or their families, but at UAB that has changed. During the coronavirus pandemic, the pastoral care team spends a lot of time counseling health care workers who are on the front lines. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

Blue Cross Waives Cost-Sharing, Co-Pays for COVID-19 Tests, Treatments, Hospitalizations

The state’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, continues to waive cost-sharing, including co-pays, for those who need treatment for COVID-19. “We want our members to be assured that we are here for them as we navigate through this unprecedented time,” said Tim Vines, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama’s president, in a press release. “For our members diagnosed with COVID-19, we want them to have peace of mind knowing they have access to the care they need.” Read more.

by Will Whatley, Alabama Daily News

Auburn Professor to Start COVID-19 Vaccine Testing

An Auburn University professor will soon begin testing new COVID-19 vaccines to see how they work alone or with other ingredients to help slow the spread of the virus. Dr. Constantinos Kyriakis, an associate professor for the College of Veterinary Medicine, will head the testing while working with Professor Ted Ross, the director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology at the University of Georgia. Kryiakis will begin animal trials to investigate the effectiveness of different vaccine candidates. The testing will involve vaccine candidates’ effectiveness at triggering an immune system response in pigs. The tests will see what other ingredients could trigger a greater immune system response, in order to make the most effective vaccine. Read more.

by Devin Pavlou, Alabama Daily News

Two Dead After Testing Positive for COVID-19 at Veterans Home at Alexander City

Two residents of one of the state’s four veterans homes have died after testing positive for the COVID-19, the state Department of Veterans Affairs stated this morning. The two veterans, 89 and 99 years of age, were among 25 residents who have tested positive for the virus at the Bill Nichols State Veterans Home in Alexander City.  In addition, 18 employees at the Nichols home also have tested positive for the virus, as have two employees at the William F. Green State Veterans Home in Bay Minette. Read more.

by Tom Gordon

Underlying Health Conditions + COVID-19 = Higher Risk of Death

More than half of Alabamians who have been confirmed as dying from COVID-19 also have had cardiovascular disease. Heart disease was the most common underlying health condition among those who have died from the disease, according to data the Alabama Department of Public Health released late Friday. Of the 60 people who were confirmed to have died from COVID-19, 31 also had heart disease. Diabetes was the second most common underlying health condition, with 24 deaths, followed by renal disease, 13, and lung disease, 12. Twenty-six of those who have died from COVID-19 had more than one underlying health condition. But 13 of those who are confirmed as having died from coronavirus had no underlying conditions at all, according to the ADPH data. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

UAB in International Trial of Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Ventilated COVID-19 Patients

UAB doctors hope a low-risk, FDA-approved drug to be tested at UAB Hospital will serve as a “rescue therapy” for ventilated patients with lungs seriously damaged by the coronavirus, COVID-19. UAB is among the first in the nation to offer inhaled nitric oxide as a potential viable treatment in its intensive care unit for the sickest of these patients, officials said in a telephone news conference. Read more.

by Hank Black

Blacks Make Up Disproportionate Percentage of COVID-19 Deaths

Blacks make up a minority of the population of Alabama, but they account for more than half the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in the state, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. The department on Wednesday reported that 61 people who tested positive for the disease have died, and 48 of the deaths were confirmed to be the result of COVID-19. Officials were verifying whether the remaining 13 died from the coronavirus. The figures covered reports through Tuesday, April 7. The racial breakdown of the 48 who were confirmed to have died of the virus showed that 52.1% were black; 37.5% were white; 7.7% were Asian; and the rest were of unknown race. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch