Science

What a Difference a Month Makes: Average of New COVID Cases Increases 15-Fold Since July 6

When the month of July began, the COVID pandemic looked like it was well on its way to shrinking to controllable numbers. People across Alabama and the nation celebrated the Fourth of July holiday much as they had before the virus, crowding beaches and other vacation hotspots without wearing face masks. And the Alabama Department of Public Health cut back its daily reporting of pandemic data to three times a week — despite the threat of the Delta variant looming on the horizon. As July draws to a close, the picture of the pandemic has changed completely. The Delta variant has spread in full force, and the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations have skyrocketed. In the Birmingham Watch periodic analysis of current COVID data trends, the 7-day moving average of new cases stands at 1,931.43 per day, including an ADPH report of an additional 2,726 cases on Wednesday. Read more.

by Robert Carter

State Health Officer Recommends Vaccinated People Wear Masks Again, Stresses Vaccinations

MONTGOMERY— State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris recommended Tuesday that even those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 wear masks indoors as virus cases and hospitalizations rise rapidly across Alabama. Harris’ recommendation comes at the same time the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control’s recommendations that vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Some Schools Will Require Masks After Shift in CDC Recommendations

UPDATED AUG. 6: Leaders with several school systems in the area have decided that students, faculty and visitors must wear masks in school facilities. So far, Birmingham, Bessemer, Fairfield, Homewood and now Hoover schools have decided to require masks. Jefferson County Schools have decided to make masks optional in schools this year. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Come Back With More Detail and We’ll Talk: Council Delays Plan for Rescue Money

Birmingham’s efforts to distribute millions of dollars of federal American Rescue Plan funding hit a snag Tuesday after councilors took issue with the vagueness of Mayor Randall Woodfin’s proposed allocations. Woodfin proposed to divide $53.1 million of the funds into broad “buckets:” $3 million for community-based public safety initiatives, $1.5 million to COVID-19 response, $18 million for neighborhood revitalization projects, $18.75 million for public transportation, $4.5 million for small business support, $1.1 million for employee vacation buyouts, $4.75 million for tourism and $1.5 million for grant writing and professional services to pursue other federal funding sources. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Alabama’s New COVID Cases, Hospitalizations See Big Jump; CDC Updates Masking Recommendation

Alabama saw its highest number of new daily cases of COVID-19 since in almost six months on Tuesday, and hospital beds occupied by virus patients topped the 1,000 mark as the Delta variant continued to spread throughout the state and the nation. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported that the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 574,737, with an increase of 2,667 cases for the day. That’s the biggest daily hike since Feb. 4, when 2,767 new cases were reported as new cases were then on a downward trend after dangerously high numbers around the start of the new year. The hospitalization numbers from the Alabama Incident Management System showed a one-day increase of 167 inpatients, or 18.2%, infected by COVID. There are now 1,083 beds with virus patients, the largest number since Feb. 17. The hospitalization total has seen a sixfold increase since a low of 166 patients on June 20. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Alabama’s New COVID Case Total Sees Biggest Daily Jump Since Early February

Alabama saw its highest number of new daily cases of COVID-19 in almost six months on Tuesday, as the Delta variant continues to spread throughout the state and the nation. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported that the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 574,737, with an increase of 2,667 cases for the day. That’s the biggest daily hike since Feb. 4, when 2,767 new cases were reported as new cases were then on a downward trend after dangerously high numbers around the start of the new year. The 7-day average of new daily cases now stands at 1,775.14, which is more than 14½ times the average’s low point three weeks ago on July 6 and the highest level that average has seen since Feb. 8. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Alabama in Worse Shape for COVID Spread Than Most of Country, Marrazzo Says

The spread of the COVID-19 virus, particularly the Delta variant, is now worse in Alabama than in most of the United States. So says Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UAB Hospital, who attributed the recent sharp increase in the number of new cases of the virus almost totally to Delta and the low percentage of state residents who are fully vaccinated. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Farmers Prefer Too Much Rain to Too Little but Say Enough’s Enough as They Watch Crops Drown

MONTGOMERY — Alabama farmers are looking at this summer’s unusually heavy rains as both a blessing and a curse. Large amounts of rainfall are great for crops such as corn and wheat, but vegetable and fruit growers are having to abandon a large portion of their crop, especially in south Alabama. “We’ve probably gotten a year’s worth of rain in three months,” Jeremy Sessions, a farmer in Mobile County told Alabama Daily News. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

ADPH Reports An Increase of 1,888 New Cases of COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued to accelerate Saturday, with the state Department of Public Health reporting 1,888 new cases in its daily update. The state has averaged 1,642 new cases a day since Monday, and health officials have blamed the rapid rise on the state's low vaccination rate and and the spread of the more contageous delta variance of the coronavirus. With about a third of the state's population fully vaccinated, the daily average number of new cases has grown from 121 on July 6. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Rate Grows, Hospitalizations Increase

Alabama's COVID-19 case count continued to rise Friday as the state Department of Public Health reported 1,733 new cases. There have been 567,243 cases in the state over the course of the pandemic, with an average of 1,238 new cases a day over the past week. The seven-day moving figure had dropped to 121 on July 6 but has steadily risen since then. ADPH said the number of people hospitalized for the coronavirus reached 727 Friday, more than triple the total of 204 at the beginning of the month. Read more.

by Birmingham Watch