Science

How Long Does the Coronavirus Live?

As the fear of coming into contact with the novel coronavirus increases, people are asking how long the virus can live on surfaces and in the air. There’s no one easy answer because the virus can live for different lengths of time on different surfaces, but a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine sought to break down those risks. The study found that the half-life of the virus hanging in the air is about one hour. But researchers still could measure viable virus in the air after three hours. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

New Coronavirus Tracker Hopes To Locate Hotspots In Rural, Underserved Areas

UAB has created a new symptom checker to track the spread of COVID-19. The website hopes to give public health officials insight on virus hotspots, especially in underserved communities. Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Theater Troupes Left Without an Audience to Entertain

Casting a wide net, the COVID-19 threat has ensnared local theaters, leaving stages bare and seats empty. Under orders to close, the theaters have canceled ongoing or scheduled productions and rescheduled other events, and they are scrambling to replace the audience revenue upon which they can no longer count. “It’s pretty scary,” said Tam DeBolt, executive director of Terrific New Theatre, a Birmingham institution for 41 years. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. Theaters close all the time. It happens all over the country — every day, I’m sure. But something like this, it’s devastating for everybody.” Read more.

by Tom Gordon

Birmingham-hosted World Games Pushed Back Until 2022

The International World Games, scheduled for 2021 in Birmingham, will be held in 2022. The event, originally slated to occur July 15-25, 2021, will now be held July 7-17, 2022, the International World Games Association announced Thursday morning. The change is meant to avoid a clash with the Olympic Games, which was postponed to July 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The games were originally slated to take place this July in Tokyo. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Community Foundation Targets $1 Million to COVID-19 Response

The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is dedicating more than $1 million from its competitive grantmaking funds for a first phase of response to the COVID-19 crisis. Applications are being accepted now from organizations on the front lines of providing critical services and economic assistance in the Birmingham region. Read more.

by Carol Nunnelley

COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Rise to 1,161

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama climbed today to 1,161, according to the state Department of Public Health. The agency said it has confirmed 17 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic and is investigating the cause of death of another 15 people who had tested positive for COVID-19. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Association Protests Plan to Put Recovering COVID-19 Patients in Nursing Homes

The Alabama Nursing Home Association opposes a decision by Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson to place patients who are recovering from COVID-19 in nursing homes. “The bottom line is for the past month, we have been doing everything that we can to prevent COVID-19 from entering nursing homes,” said John Matson, spokesman for the nursing home association. “Now, Dr. Wilson wants nursing homes to accept patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 even though they still exhibit symptoms and have not fully recovered. That decision goes against sound medical advice. “Just last week, the American Medical Directors Association issued guidance stating that nursing homes should not admit a COVID-19 patient until the patient has two negative tests, which is a test-based strategy according to the Centers for Disease Control, “ Matson said. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Birmingham Could Be Two Weeks Away From NYC COVID-19 Rates

The coronavirus pandemic in Alabama is not as bad as hot spots elsewhere in the country, but public health officials expect that to change. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Pass the 1,000 Mark, 17 Deaths Reported

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama climbed today to 1,013, the state Public Health Department said. The agency said it has confirmed 17 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic and is investigating the cause of death of another nine people who had tested positive for COVID-19. The spread of the disease in Alabama has been dramatic over the past week. The Public Health Department reported the state’s first death from COVID-19 one week ago today – March 25 – and said it had confirmed 386 cases statewide at the time. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

SNAP Recipients Get Additional Benefits

Some Alabamians enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called SNAP and formerly referred to as food stamps, got additional funds April 1 as part of a federal response to the COVID-19 crisis. “Current SNAP recipients will receive a supplement in their accounts that will take their March benefits to the monthly maximum for family size regardless of income,” Barry Spear, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, told Alabama Daily News. “Families already receiving the monthly maximum benefit will not receive the supplement.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News