Science

Alabama ICU Beds Almost Full as COVID Hospitalizations Continue Rapid Rise

Critical care units in Alabama hospitals are nearing capacity due to increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, but recent deaths from the virus still remain relatively low. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday that about 93% of Alabama’s ICU beds are occupied as the more transmissible COVID-19 delta variant continues to spread in the state and vaccination rates remain low. Read more. Related: Latest COVID Surge Is Putting Pressure on Hospitals Yet Again

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Latest COVID Surge Is Putting Pressure on Hospitals Yet Again

The recent sharp spike in the number of people infected by COVID is not just taking a toll on those who are infected. It’s creating major problems for the hospitals and the professionals that treat them. Dr. Don Williamson, president and CEO of the Alabama Hospital Association, says hospitals sometimes are having a hard time finding room for patients who are suffering from non-COVID afflictions, and their emergency rooms are overflowing. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Vaccination Rates Are Ticking Up. Here’s Why Birmingham Residents Are Rolling Up Their Sleeves

The delta variant and rising hospitalizations are among the reasons vaccine recipients cite. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Alabama’s Total COVID Infections Surpass 600,000, as Case Counts Continue Rapid  Climb

It’s been almost a year and a half since the COVID-19 began in the United States, and over that time Alabama has seen its ups and downs in the rate of infections. Now, with the latest surge propelled by the onset of the powerful Delta variant of the virus, the state has passed a milestone that no one wanted to see. On Friday, the Alabama Department of Public Health announced on its online dashboard that the number of cumulative cases of COVID-19 has passed 600,000, roughly equal to 12% of the state’s population. That’s an increase of 3,685 new cases for the day, the fourth in a row with more than 3,000 new infections tallied. The 7-day moving average of daily new cases rose by more than 500 on Friday alone, blowing past the 3,000 level for the first time since Jan. 16, which was near the peak of the pandemic’s winter surge. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Alabama Health Officials Say COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for Pregnant Women

Among the various reasons for vaccine hesitancy, one of the most prominent and personal is a concern about the COVID-19 vaccine’s potential effect on pregnant women or those who might soon want to become pregnant. Alabama doctors and health officials took those concerns head-on Thursday, seeking to reassure women that the vaccines are safe and effective. During the Medical Association of the State of Alabama’s weekly live Facebook event, state health leaders said all of the latest medical data and research shows the COVID-19 vaccine does not have any adverse effects on maternal health or fertility in women. Dr. Mimi Munn, a maternal-fetal physician professor and chair of the obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Alabama, said the nation’s top OBGYN doctors and associations recommend pregnant women get vaccinated. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Lawmaker Proposes Legislation to Bar Schools from Requiring Masks

MONTGOMERY -- While most health officials are advocating for more mask wearing amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, one north Alabama lawmaker said he is drafting a bill that would prohibit any public K-12 school in Alabama from requiring masks. Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, told Alabama Daily News on Thursday that his bill is not pro- or anti-mask but about giving more freedom to parents. “This bill says that parents should have the right to choose whether or not their child wears a mask in a public school, and I believe the parents are more qualified to make that decision than the government,” said Sorrell, who is running for state auditor in 2022. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Eight Metro Hospital Administrators Deliver Common Message: Get the COVID Vaccine

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, the men and women who run Birmingham’s hospitals and the head of the Jefferson County Department of Health appeared jointly before the news media to discuss the latest surge in cases. But all were unified in one message that’s been repeated many times in the past few months: If you haven’t been vaccinated for the virus, it’s time to get the shot — and quickly. In the online press conference, the heads of Ascension St. Vincent’s, Brookwood Baptist, Children’s of Alabama, Grandview, Hill Crest Behavioral Health, Medical West and UAB hospitals answered questions about the latest surge in the COVID virus. New cases have skyrocketed to more than 3,000 per day for the past few days, and hospitalizations have jumped from less than 200 statewide to more than 1,700 in less than a month. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Number of New COVID Cases in Alabama Rapidly Approaching Levels Last Seen in January

The surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continues across Alabama, as the spread of the stronger Delta variant has pushed those numbers to levels close to those seen during the worst part of the pandemic early this year. In the Birmingham Watch periodic analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the total number of cases since the outbreak began in March 2020 reached 595,816 on Wednesday. The 7-day moving average of new cases now stands at 2,621.86 per day, an increase of 18,353 cases for the week. That’s 35.7% higher than the average of 1,931.43 a week prior, and it’s the highest 7-day average recorded since Jan. 31. ADPH reported more than 3,000 new cases each day on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first time numbers have reached those heights since Jan. 26. Read more.

by Robert Carter

School Protocols Have Key Changes for Masked vs Unmasked

Schools that require students to wear masks and follow certain COVID-19 protocols won’t have to send home children exposed to the coronavirus, according to recent guidance from the Alabama Department of Public Health. “That will make a huge change for us,” state Superintendent Eric Mackey said this week about the number of students who could potentially be sent home from school because another student was diagnosed with the virus. For schools that don’t require masks, protocol is to send home students who are exposed to a COVID-19 positive classmate. There are exceptions for those who have been vaccinated or contracted the virus within the past three months. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

5 Things to Know About Alabama’s Back-to-School COVID Toolkit

Over the last several weeks, the hyper-contagious delta variant and surge in COVID-19 cases have pushed school districts to make last-minute changes to their plans for back to school. Many health officials and school administrators said they were waiting for the Alabama Department of Public Health to release its back-to-school guidance in order to make decisions about masking, social distancing and vaccinations for K-12 schools. Now, that 2021-2022 toolkit is here, and it has prompted some schools in Jefferson County to quickly update their COVID-19 protocols. The state guidance provides schools and guardians with checklists, testing guides and information on how to best protect students and teachers throughout the school year. Read more.

by Kyra Miles, Report for America Corps for WBHM