Science

Alabama’s COVID Case Numbers Still on Downtrend, but Deaths Increase Slightly

New COVID-19 cases in Alabama continue the slow decline that has prevailed over two months’ time, though deaths attributed to the virus have ramped upward slightly in the past week. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of COVID data, the 7-day moving average of new cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health is now at 277.14 per day, the lowest level for that average since May 19 of last year. The COVID death toll rate has slipped upward, however, as 93 fatalities were reported in the past seven days, resulting in a 7-day moving average of 13.29. Read more.

by Robert Carter

As the Last Mask Mandate in Alabama Expires, COVID-19 Case Average Continues Decline

Alabama’s rate of new COVID-19 infections continues on a downward slide as the city of Birmingham ends its requirement that people wear face masks indoors. On Monday, Birmingham’s mask ordinance was allowed to expire without another extension. The statewide ordinance expired last month, leaving no governmental mask requirements left in the state. Businesses still may require masks and social distancing at their discretion. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham Seeks Dollars for Its Entertainment Venues

Birmingham will apply for federal relief for five city-owned concert spaces and museums that lost revenue during the pandemic. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, established last year by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act, offers funding for COVID-impacted entities, public or private, including live venues, movie theaters, museums and live performing arts organizations. The city will seek SVOG funding for Boutwell Auditorium, Sloss Historic Landmark Furnace, the Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Arlington Historic House. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Low Likelihood of Matched Bone Marrow Donors Among African Americans

Finding a 100% bone marrow match is a challenge for most people with cancer, but it’s even more difficult if you’re Black. Be The Match, the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world, only carries 4% of their registry from African Americans. Research showed bone marrow matches are best among people of the same race and ethnicity. This makes Black people far less likely to find a bone marrow match when searching for a cure for blood cancer. Stephanie Jackson, an account manager with Be The Match, said African-Americans have an especially hard time matching with donors compared to whites. “If you are Caucasian, and you do not have a match in your family, you have a 77% chance of finding a match,” Jackson said. But for African Americans, that drops to 23%, because only a tiny fraction of registered donors are African American, Jackson said. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

State Lawmakers Expect Multiple Special Sessions

MONTGOMERY — Alabama lawmakers could be called back to the State House this year for multiple special sessions on various issues, but the likely first topic will be the distribution of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds. That American Rescue Plan Act money will start flowing to the state as soon as this month, but the state’s share can’t be distributed to agencies or dedicated to specific causes until it goes through an allocation process similar to the annual General Fund budgets. Alabama Daily News previously reported the state, including local governments, will receive more than $4 billion in this round of relief approved in March. Read more.

by Caroline Beck and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

COVID Hospitalizations Among Elderly Now Fewer Than Young Adults

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, more patients hospitalized in April were aged 16 to 34 than were 75 and older. That’s not because the number of infected young adults has risen, according to Dr. Suzanne Judd, a professor with the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Instead, infections among the elderly have plummeted as a result of vaccinations, while infections among young adults have stayed level. “That’s an indication that the vaccine is working and doing what it’s supposed to do,” Judd said in a media conference Wednesday. “Since January, when we really started ramping up vaccinations, there have been just huge decreases (in infections) in those populations that are getting vaccinated at high levels.” Read more.

by Robert Carter

‘Vaccine Passports’ Ban Passes Final Vote

MONTGOMERY — A bill that would prohibit the issuance of state or local government “vaccine passports” passed its final vote Thursday. Senate Bill 267 from Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, says state and local governments “may not require an individual to receive an immunization or present documentation of an immunization as a condition for receiving any government benefit or service or for entry into a government building.” The bill also says an entity or individual doing business in Alabama can’t refuse to provide goods or services or refuse admission or entry to anyone based on their immunization status or lack of documentation. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Alabama’s Daily COVID Report Shows Partly Unexplained Spike in New Cases

Friday’s daily COVID report by the Alabama Department of Public Health included a backlog of almost 3,000 cases from September through February. But even when those old cases are filtered out, the state still had a big jump in the number of new cases. Read more.

by Robert Carter

COVID Numbers in Alabama Staying Stable as Mandates Go Away

As COVID vaccinations continue and the state has eliminated almost all restrictions originally imposed in the wake of increasing infections and deaths, Alabama’s numbers have declined into a narrow range. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of COVID data, the 7-day moving average of new cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health is down to 310.86 per day. That average compares to 337.57 cases per day a week prior, a decrease of 8.5%. The longer-term 14-day average is now at 324.21 new cases per day, down from 362.79 seven days beforehand, a fall of 11.8%. Both averages have stayed well below 400 since the end of March, and the 7-day average has drifted below the 14-day mark, which typically indicates a continuing downward trend, though it’s a very slow downtrend in this case. Read more.

by Robert Carter

As Demand Drops, Health Officials Look for Ways to Encourage Vaccinations

UPDATED — The decline of COVID-19 vaccinations being administered in many states has caused alarm among medical professionals. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, on April 8, Alabama reached its peak of doses given, at 44,165. That number as of May 10 had dropped to 10,405. The significant drop now has state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focusing on how to encourage the next wave of individuals set to get the vaccine. Dr. David Hicks, the deputy health officer for the Jefferson County Department of Health, said the lower numbers are a sign the state has gotten most of the high-risk individuals vaccinated, and now it is shifting focus to persuade younger and more reluctant populations to get the shots. “I think that initially we had a high demand with limited supply, and I believe the people who were demanding the vaccine were the people who were at a higher risk and those who were really eager to get vaccinated,” he said. “I think we’ve done a really great job at this point of vaccinating all those people and we’ve now shifted to trying to target people who haven’t strongly considered getting vaccinated … now it’s the harder part of the population to engage with.” Now that the first wave of individuals is fully vaccinated, the next obstacle lies in getting skeptics and those apathetic to the vaccine to want the shots. Read more.

by Michelle Love