Science

Jackson Among Several Counties in Northeast Alabama Seeing Spike in New COVID-19 Cases

There have been sharp increases in new COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks in Alabama, but the biggest spread of the virus is currently concentrated along the northern tier of counties — particularly in Jackson County, nestled in the northeast corner of the state. Data from the Alabama Department of Public Health issued Monday shows that Jackson County led the state in new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The county of 51,736 residents had a seven-day average of 73.9 new cases per day. Multiplying out those numbers to fit the standard measurement for cases gives the county a rate of 173 cases per 100,000 population. It is one of six counties in Alabama to measure more than 100 in this statistic, according to data compiled by The New York Times. As the state and the nation see COVID-19 numbers climb higher and higher, northeast Alabama is experiencing an outbreak of its own. Read more.

by Robert Carter

COVID-19 Hospitalization Numbers Reach Record Highs for UAB and Alabama

The number of people in Alabama hospitals for COVID-19 has risen to a record high, the state Department of Public Health reported Monday. UAB Hospital also said its inpatient count for the disease was at an all-time high. There were 1,927 people in hospitals Sunday for treatment of the disease, ADPH reported in its daily update. The number had risen to a high of 1,613 on Aug.6 before declining to 703 on Sept. 25. It then began a steady rise that reached 1,731 one week ago and continued through the week UAB Hospital said it had 130 COVID-19 patients Monday morning. That broke the previous record of 129 on Saturday and Sunday, following a week of steadily rising numbers. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Daily Number of New COVID-19 Cases Drops Sunday to 2,288

Alabama's COVID-19 totals grew by 2,288 cases and 12 deaths in Sunday's report by the state Department of Public Health. That broke a string of five consecutive days for which the number of cases topped 3,000. The state has recorded 269,877 cases of COVID-19 and 3,889 deaths from the disease since the pandemic began in mid-March. The number of people being treated in Alabama hospitals for the coronavirus dropped slightly, from a record 1,875 on Friday to 1,867 on Saturday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

North Alabama Counties Are Hotspots as State Records 3,390 Cases of COVID-19

With COVID-19 hotspots scattered across north Alabama, the state recorded 3,390 new cases of the disease and 46 deaths, the state Department of Public Health reported Saturday. It was the fifth consecutive day with more than 3,000 cases, pushing the totals for the pandemic to 267,390 cases and 3,877 deaths. Alabama is averaging 3,228 new cases a day over the past week, compared to 1,241 daily for the week ending Nov. 1. The number of people in Alabama hospitals for treatment of the coronavirus also stood at a record level -- 1,875 on Friday. That is up from 1,571 one week ago. Jackson County (Scottsboro), in the northeast corner of the state, recorded 104 new cases in Saturday's report, and it leads the state with 1,873 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Alabama Health Officials Hope To Receive First COVID-19 Vaccines Friday

Public health officials say Alabama could receive its first delivery of coronavirus vaccines by the end of this week. Jefferson County Deputy Health Officer Dr. David Hicks on Friday said he expects vaccines from the drug company Pfizerto arrive on Friday, December 11. If the vaccine is granted Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Alabama will receive about 41,000 doses. Those will be distributed at 16 vaccination sites at hospitals across the state, according to State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. Frontline healthcare workers and some first responders will be given priority for the vaccine. Harris said that rural areas, like southwest Alabama, will not receive the Pfizer vaccine during the initial phase. This is mainly because rural hospitals can’t accommodate the vaccine’s cold-chain requirements: the vaccine must be kept at -112 F. Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Surge in COVID-19 Cases from Thanksgiving Still to Come, UAB Doctor Says

The Thanksgiving holidays have passed and the leftover turkey remnants in the refrigerator have dwindled. But the after-effects of the holiday period are just now beginning when it comes to the COVID-19 virus, according to a top doctor with UAB. Dr. Sarah Nafziger, co-chair of the school’s emergency management committee and a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, says that UAB Hospital is already seeing a continuing increase in the number of coronavirus patients, pushing current limits. But even more cases are likely to come through the doors in the next couple of weeks, if past results are any indication. “We haven’t even begun to see those patients (from Thanksgiving) yet,” Nafziger said during a media teleconference Friday. “Those patients are not showing up at the hospital yet." Read more.

by Robert Carter

Another Record Day for COVID-19 in Alabama

The state posted a record number of COVID-19 cases on Friday, along with the highest number of patients in hospitals with the disease, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported. There were 3,840 new cases of the coronavirus listed in the agency's daily report, bringing the total for the pandemic to 264,199. It was the fourth consecutive day with more than 3,000 cases and the most ever for a single day that did not include figures from previous days. Jefferson County continued to show high numbers, with 594 cases, while Madison County had 306. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Alabama Records More Than 3,000 COVID-19 Cases for Third Consecutive Day

Alabama added more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 for the third day in a row, the state Department of Public Health reported Thursday. The increase of 3,531 cases brought the state's total to 260,359 since the pandemic began in March. Alabama has averaged 2,629 cases per day over the past week, up from an average of 2,292 a week ago. The Health Department added 65 deaths in Thursday's report raising the overall total to 3,776. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Average COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths All Rise in Weekly Data Analysis

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, head of the UAB School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, is not a person given to hyperbole. But as the numbers in the coronavirus pandemic rise at an alarming rate, Marrazzo resorted to terminology of a level she hasn’t used before. Speaking to reporters in a teleconference Tuesday morning, she said the situation is approaching levels that evoke “tidal wave imagery.” The weekly BirminghamWatch analysis of the state’s COVID-19 data shows all of the major indicators of the disease continuing to rise sharply, giving a foundation for Marrazzo’s heightened concerns. Moving averages of daily positive cases are at record high levels, while the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients also has reached its highest level. The death toll also is rising rapidly. Read more.

by Robert Carter

State Finance Chief: All Coronavirus Relief Money Will Be Spent

WBHM The state is working through a backlog of requests from local governments, nonprofits, and others for CARES Act funds. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM