UAB and the Alabama NAACP are hosting a virtual public information session on the coronavirus vaccine tonight at 6 p.m. The session is open to anyone who wants to join in. Topics to be covered by UAB doctors include vaccine safety, vaccine hesitation and vaccine effectiveness. Read more.
On March 25, 2020, the Alabama Department of Public Health announced the first death to be officially attributed to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thelma Jenny McDonald, nicknamed “Chicken,” lived in Stevenson, a small town in the northeast part of the state. She died at age 53. That death came two weeks after March 11, the day many people realized how bad the outbreak had become, as the World Health Organization officially declared a global pandemic. It also was the day the National Basketball Association, the NCAA basketball playoffs and golf’s PGA Tour abruptly shut down after players tested positive for what was still called the Wuhan virus, so dubbed for the Chinese city where it was first detected. Almost a year later, more than 10,000 Alabamians have perished from COVID. The official death toll passed five figures as of Wednesday, with 10,029 fatalities. The path to 10,000 has been one of slow progressions and fearsome streaks. It took more than three months after McDonald’s passing for the death toll to reach 1,000, but a big spike after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays led to a single week in late January when more than 1,000 deaths were reported. Read more.
Alabama's COVID-19 death count moved past the 10,000 mark in Wednesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. The agency added 38 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total to 10,029 since the pandemic began almost a year ago. The agency reported 2,733 cases of COVID-19 in the report but said 2,114 of those were delayed reports from May 2020. That left 619 new cases for the 24-hour period covered by the update. There have been 497,154 cases throughtout the pandemic. Including just the new cases in Wednesday's report, the state has averaged 688 cases a day over the past week, the lowest weekly average since as count of 678 on June 24. Read more.
The daily average number of new cases of COVID-19 and the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus have dropped to the lowest levels since June, according to Tuesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. The agency reported 652 new cases of the disease during the latest 24-hour period. That left the average at 651 cases a day over the past week, the lowest since an average of 650 on June 18. The figure has been steadily falling since reaching a high of 3,084 on Jan. 11. ADPH said there were 651 people in Alabama hospitals for COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total for the course of the pandemic to 45,648. Monday's total was the lowest since the report of 650 inpatients on June 28. The peak of 3,084 inpatients was reported on Jan. 11. Read more.
UAB health experts say when it comes to vaccine variety, more is better. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the latest to win approval from the federal government. Read more.
WASHINGTON — Members of Alabama’s House delegation, except for Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell, voted against the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed the House on a 219-212 vote Saturday. HR 1319, which the Senate is expected to take up this week, would expand unemployment benefits by $400 per week from March 14 through Aug. 29; deliver payments of $1,400 per person to individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples up to $150,000; raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by 2025; expand Paycheck Protection Program benefits for small businesses and non-profits; establish a $25 billion grant program for the restaurant industry; and increase Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for a large number of the uninsured. See what else is in the relief package.
Alabama's death toll for COVID-19 is approaching the 10,000 mark this weekend after the state Department of Public Health added 61 deaths from the disease in Saturday's daily update. The report raised the number of people who have died from the coronavirus over the coure of the pandemic to 9,930. The total has reached that level in just over 11 months since the death last March 23 of Thelma Jenny McDonald, 53, of the northeast Alabama town of Stevenson, the first person in the state to die after testing positive for COVID.19. Saturday's ADPH update showed 834 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 492,683 throughout the pandemic. The state averaged 957 new cases a day during the past week, less than one-fourth of the average daily high of 4,280 reported on Jan. 10. Read more.
There were 739 new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama and 38 deaths from the disease, the state Department of Public Health reported Friday in its daily update. The agency said there have been 491,849 cases of the coronavirus and 9,869 deaths since the pandemic began last March. The state averaged 948 new cases a day over the past week. That compares with an average of 935 a week earlier and 2,767 one month ago. The coronavirus hospitalization rate continued to shrink, with 722 inpatients reported across the state on Thursday. There were 989 patients a week earlier and 2,277 a month ago on Jan. 25. Read more.
After a slow start, Alabama’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine is picking up pace, according to state Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “Alabama as a whole has done a great job,” Harris said during a media call Thursday. “The past five weeks, we’ve given out well over 100,000 vaccines. And last week, even with all of the weather delays, it was our second best week that we have had so far.” The state has administered more than 800,000 doses. Harris said federal programs are helping to increase supply and reach more residents. Read more.
The daily average number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama dipped below the 1,000-mark and the number of people receiving vaccines continued to climb in Thursday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There were 890 new cases of the coronavirus, dropping the daily average to 964 over the past week. The 7-day moving average had been below 1,000 for six days before rising to 1,008 on Wednesday. The average stood at 971 one week ago and 2,251 at this time in January. The highest daily average for the pandemic was 4,280 for the week ended Jan. 10. ADPH reported 87 new deaths in Thursday's report, bringing the overall total to 9,831. Read more.
