Science

Health Experts: Scale Back Thanksgiving Plans To Avoid COVID-19

Dr. Michael Saag with the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases said at a Friday press conference that Alabama residents should treat the fight against COVID-19 like it’s a real war. “We’re on a tour of duty right now, and we know our tour of duty ends by Thanksgiving next year. So what can we do to stay as healthy and, frankly, stay alive and survive this tour of duty and get home safe?” Saag asked. Jefferson County, like much of the state, is seeing a “staggering” number of new COVID-19 cases, said Saag. Health experts say the county is averaging more than 300 new cases each day; that’s three times the daily rate from September. Since March, Jefferson County has recorded about 30,000 cases and nearly 500 deaths related to the virus. Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Hospitalized for Months: One Man’s Fight Against COVID-19

Since March, more than 22,000 Alabamians have been hospitalized with COVID-19, some requiring months of inpatient care. Victor Perea, 38, has been fighting the virus for almost three months at UAB Hospital. His wife, Magaly Cordova, said the diagnosis came as a shock. Before this illness, she said, Perea didn’t have any pre-existing conditions. “He was healthy,” Cordova said. “He was a gym guy – you know, eating healthy, go to the gym every day – and really careful about this virus.” Perea, who lives in Homewood, recently had gotten a new job installing IT systems. He found out he had COVID-19 in early September, after a co-worker tested positive for the virus. He's been in the hospital at UAB for three months, and remains in the Pulmonary Intensive Care Unit, and is slowly showing signs of improvement. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Football Programs Take a Big Hit from COVID-19

Football players at all levels are used to battles against their on-field opponents, who are easy to see though difficult to defend against. But the toughest opponent many teams have ever faced can’t be seen without a microscope. Yet it has the ability to make players very sick — and cripple entire programs. The COVID-19 virus has wreaked havoc on players and on high schools, colleges and professional teams, as well as the organizations that govern the sport. It’s also hurt countless others with ties to the game, from high school band boosters who sell food at home games to hotel and restaurant owners who cater to major college and pro fans on weekends. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Sharp Rise in Alabama COVID-19 Numbers Causing Alarm

With the number of new daily cases of COVID-19 up by almost half and the number of deaths reported each day up by more than 80% in two weeks’ time, the concern over a so-called “second wave” of infections is increasing. In this week’s BirminghamWatch analysis of coronavirus data, all numbers have taken a sharp turn for the worse. The 7-day average of daily new cases jumped from 1,438.71 two weeks ago to 2,121.29 on Wednesday, an increase of 48.3% and the highest level since the pandemic began. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Jones Pleads With Public to Follow COVID Safety Guidelines as Cases, Deaths Increase

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones on Wednesday urged people to listen to health care officials’ advice on the coronavirus, not the opinions of politicians. “We have now seen another surge in cases,” Jones said during a press conference with UAB’s Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo. “You will all recall that beginning last April, I kept admonishing folks, ‘Please, please listen to our health care professionals. Do not listen to politicians. Do not listen to anyone other than our health care professionals.’ “What we’ve seen come to pass is exactly what our health care professionals have said,” Jones continued. “As we get into the colder months, as we get into the winter, as people let their guard down and get a little COVID fatigue, we are going to see a rise in cases, and we are seeing a dangerous rise in cases at this point, more than we anticipated and more than we even saw in the summer.” Read more.

by Michelle Love

Rising COVID-19 Cases Starting to Strain Hospital Resources, Staff

Hospitals across the state are feeling the strain of a growing number of COVID-19 cases but are managing to keep up with patient needs, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association said Tuesday. “We are in a very precarious and potentially dangerous place right now in dealing with COVID cases,” said Dr. Don Williamson, a former state health officer who heads the Hospital Association. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Commission OKs Cares Act Funding in Quick Session

Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission was so fast you would have thought commissioners were trying to beat a deadline. In a sense, they were. As they have for months, commissioners continued their efforts to dole out federal funds related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The light agenda included 18 resolutions from county manager Tony Petelos to distribute Cares Act funds to help cities, towns and entities in the county address needs of citizens that arose from COVID-19. Petelos said the items that were moved to Thursday’s meeting agenda leave just a few who have not gotten requested money. “We’ll have those next meeting,” Petelos said. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Birmingham Council Balks at Mayor’s Plan to Bring Back Some Workers, Wants More Information

The Birmingham City Council is mulling a proposal from Mayor Randall Woodfin to bring back up to 132 furloughed city employees by taking $7 million from the city’s reserve fund. The proposal also would reinstate two paid holidays and reverse some salary reductions to appointed staff, both of which, like the furloughs, had been cut due to a city budget shortfall caused by COVID-19. Although Finance Director Lester Smith assured councilors he was confident the money would be reimbursed with Cares Act funding that is awaiting action by the Jefferson County Commission, the proposal was met with deep skepticism from councilors, who criticized the proposal’s lack of detail and argued that it could damage the city’s financial standing. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Longtime Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver Would Have Done Just About Anything for His Little City

If you were in Clanton on Monday, you might have noticed signs of a celebration dedicated to the city’s late mayor, Billy Joe Driver, who died July 9 of COVID-19. There might have been a few people raising a glass to him on what should have been his 85th birthday. It would be entirely appropriate, although Driver was a teetotaler. You see, much of the prosperity around you in this peach capital of Alabama came as a result of Driver’s laser-focused absorption with making Clanton a better place to live and work, and part of that came down to alcohol sales. Read more.

by Nancy Wilstach

COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Soar to Record Number

Alabama recorded its highest number of new cases of COVID-19 ever on Friday, with the state Department of Public Health reporting 2,980 total cases for the latest 24-hour period. There were 18 more deaths from the disease and a steady rise in the number of people being treated for the virus in Alabama hospitals. State and federal health officials have raised alarm over the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across the nation in recent days, and they have cautioned against another surge as people gather for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Nationwide, the number of new cases has grown from 100,000 a day eight days ago to a record 160,000 on Thursday, The New York Times reported. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens