Science

Alabama Records Highest Number of COVID-19 Cases This Month in Saturday Report

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,156 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the highest daily total so far in September. The count was the highest for a single day since a total of 1,172 confirmed cases on Aug. 30. The agency's daily dashboard showed a total of 129,974 confirmed cases plus 14,190 probable cases of COVID-19, for a total of 144,164 since the state reported its first positive diagnosis on March 13.  The number of confirmed cases was below the 600 mark three times this week, dropping to a low of 504 on Monday, Sept. 14. Saturday's report was the second in September when the daily total topped the 1,000 level -- the previous time having been 1,038 on Sept. 5. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Gov. Kay Ivey Surveys Aftermath of Hurricane Sally

WBHM Gov. Kay Ivey visited parts of Alabama’s coast Friday to survey damage from Hurricane Sally, which struck the coast on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm. “What I’ve seen this morning in the fly over – it’s really, really bad,” Ivey said. “I think that I only saw two piers that were still standing. The rest are just sticks in the water.” Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

721 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported Friday, But Trends Remain Positive

Despite an uptick in the number of new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, Alabama continued to show a positive overall trend in caseloads and hospitalizations from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 721 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, raising the total for the pandemic to 128,818. Another 14,045 cases were listed as probable, for a total of 142,863. The case count was the highest since a total of 726 on Sept. 12. The average number of new cases stood at 674 a day over the past week. That is down from the daily average of 687 one week ago and 795 two weeks ago. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Totals Increase by 574 Cases, Seven Deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 574 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday. The state's overall totals for the disease throughout the pandemic stood at 128,097 confirmed cases and 2,264 confirmed deaths. The SDPH Dashboard listed an additional 13,660 cases as probable for a total of 141,757 cases, and 137 deaths as probable for a total of 2,401. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 New Case Averages Mixed, Death Reports Turning Upward

Data on the spread of COVID-19 in Alabama this week is a mixed bag, with the average number of cases higher than last week but lower than two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the average number of deaths has increased over the past week. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Woodfin’s Revised Library Budget Lower Than Expected, With $3.6M Remaining Until June 30

The Birmingham Public Library now has its operating budget for fiscal year 2021 — and it’s much lower than expected, which means “tough decisions” lie ahead for the BPL board of trustees. During Tuesday’s board meeting, trustees lamented the “moving target” they’d been given by Mayor Randall Woodfin’s office. The city’s overall budget has been greatly reduced as a result of reduced business tax revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The library first had been allocated $12.8 million in Woodfin’s proposed FY 2021 budget, which was bumped up shortly afterward to $15.3 million, bringing it roughly even with its operating budget from this year. Then, board members said, their city attorney had given them a third number that was less than half of that — $7.039 million. The real number, Woodfin told board members and city councilors during a “last-minute” informational call Wednesday, is even less than that. The library’s total budget in his recommendation for FY 2021 is $6.2 million, he said — and it’s spent $2.6 million of that since July. “I want everybody to hear it at the same time,” Woodfin says in a recording of the call obtained by BirminghamWatch. “Your remaining budget you have from October 1 to June 30 is $3.6 million — not a dollar more.” Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Mask Designed at UAB Can Protect You and Others From COVID While Taking Your Temperature and Pulse, Too. (No. It doesn’t do windows)

A fully transparent face mask designed by UAB’s chief innovation officer can include sensors to monitor the body’s temperature and pulse for early detection of viral infections, such as COVID-19. The mask design features a clear plastic mouth covering and clear nose barriers, chin barriers and ergonomic looped arms that secure around a wearers’ ear, said Rubin Pillay, Ph.D., who is the chief innovation officer at UAB’s School of Medicine. Pillay called his design “the world’s first smart mask.” Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

On Second Thought: Hoover City Schools Return Elementary Students to Classrooms, but Not Older Kids

The Hoover City School District has altered a decision to return students to classrooms on a full-time basis because of a turn for the worse in local COVID-19 data. Instead, parents of children in fifth grade and younger who opted for in-school education will attend classes four days a week beginning Monday, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the system. That’s up from the two days a week that those students attend now. But those in grades six and higher will stay with the staggered two-day schedule — a reversal of a previous decision by the system to return to in-school classes every day. Parents who opted for virtual learning for their children may continue using that system. Read more.

by Robert Carter

710 New Cases of COVID-19, Four Deaths Listed in Wednesday Update

Alabama recorded 710 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths from the disease in Wednesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 127,523 confirmed cases and 2,257 confirmed deaths in the state throughout the pandemic. An additional 13,564 cases and 135 deaths are listed as probably from the coronavirus. Over the past two weeks, the state has averaged 664 new cases per day. That is down from an average of 880 cases a day on Sept. 1 and a peak of 1,787 on July 25.  Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Two New Trials Look at Whether Antibodies in Plasma Help Treat or Prevent COVID-19

UAB and Johns Hopkins University are seeking volunteers for two COVID-19 treatment and prevention studies that involve the effectiveness of antibodies to treat early-stage coronavirus and to prevent those exposed to the virus from catching the disease. The trials are to assess whether blood plasma is effective as an outpatient treatment, and they are being conducted at the

by Virginia MacDonald