Science

Furloughs on Hold, but Maybe Not for Long

Earlier this month, employees of several city-owned entities — including the Birmingham Public Library and the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board, among others — received letters from Mayor Randall Woodfin’s office informing them that they would be furloughed. Now, they’re being told to ignore that furlough letter — but another one might be coming. “The letter is now moot,” said Cedric Sparks, Woodfin’s chief of staff, during a teleconference with Birmingham employees on Friday, responding to a question specifically focused on library employees. “The letter that you have received, please disregard that letter. Your next letter will come directly from the library board.” However, the mayor’s office also announced that it had raised funding for libraries and parks in a revised budget proposal. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

UAB Doctor Encourages Tests Despite CDC Guideline

A UAB infectious disease doctor weighed in today on a guideline released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating that people exposed to COVID-19 should not be tested if they do not have symptoms of the virus. "It is really extreme to say that people without symptoms do not need to be tested," said Dr. Jodie Dionne-Odom, assistant professor in UAB's Division of Infectious Diseases. "We know that 40% of the people with COVID are asymptomatic and are highly likely to pass the virus to other people." Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Alabama Deaths from COVID-19 Top the 2,000 Mark

Alabama's COVID-19 death toll moved past the 2,000-mark Friday as the state Department of Public Health reported 27 deaths over the latest 24-hour period. The number of people who have died of the coronavirus since the pandemic began in mid-mark reached 2,017, plus 86 deaths that are listed as probably resulting from the disease. The agency reported 929 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 113,723. Another 8,229 people are listed as probably contracting the disease but not confirmed. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Masks for Trumpets, Connections for Internet and Fear of the Unknown as the 2020-21 School Year Opens

In any normal year — which is to say, pretty much any year before 2020 — faculty, administrators and staff in more than a dozen metro Birmingham school districts would have worked at a frantic pace to get their facilities ready for another academic year. That’s all still happening, but in a much different way than in the past, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that looms large over everyday life. Because state officials this year have given districts a lot of latitude, in addition to the usual issues, school systems this year have had to determine when they will open and how children will be educated during the outbreak. They also are facing decisions about how to provide internet access to children who don’t have it in their homes but are taking classes by computer for at least some of the year. There are issues of how to provide meals to children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches if the schools are not having in-person classes. A shortage of substitute teachers already has made itself known in systems that have opened, and some teachers still are on the fence about whether they will stay with the school system, retire or ask to teach virtual classes, rather than be in a classroom. In addition, the schools had to determine whether to go forward with football seasons and when to start, as well as monitoring young athletes and their coaches and responding quickly if anyone tests positive for the coronavirus. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Gov. Kay Ivey Extends Face Mask Order to Oct. 2

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, citing the statewide drop in COVID-19 numbers, today extended her mandatory mask-wearing order until Oct. 1. The governor said she knows wearing a mask is not popular. "I don't want to wear a mask, either. I can't understand what people are saying when they are muffled behind a mask, and masks make my glasses fog up," she said. But, she said, the protection is needed at this time. “To get to normal, wear a mask," she said. She extended her Safer at Home order during a press conference Thursday morning to continue the mask requirement and other restrictions that have been in force statewide for another five weeks. Ivey also warned residents to be careful mixing with other households during upcoming Labor Day activities. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

COVID-19 Averages Fall Again Thursday, but Alabama Reports 25 Deaths

Alabama reported 25 deaths from COVID-19 in Thursday's update by the state Department of Public Health, but the number of new cases of the disease continued to trend downward. There were 668 confirmed new cases of the coronavirus during the 24-hour period covered by the report, bringing the total to 112,794 since the pandemic began in March. The number of deaths climbed to 1,990. In addition, 7,128 cases and 80 deaths are listed as probably being associated with the disease. The deaths in the new report represented the biggest daily number since 29 were reported one week earlier. The moving seven-day average of new cases stood at 759, less than half the average of 1,543 cases per day for the week ending Aug. 3. It was the 13th consecutive day for which the rolling seven-day average was below 1,000 cases. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Continued Improvement in Key Alabama COVID-19 Numbers

As health officials keep a wary eye on data with college students returning to campuses, the COVID-19 numbers for Alabama keep heading in favorable directions. In BirminghamWatch’s weekly analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the 7-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases was 763.14 per day for the week ending Aug. 26. That’s down by more than 91 cases from the previous week. The average of new cases has fallen almost 60% from the record high in July. The longer-term 14-day average is at 808.93, down by 263.07 from the week before, a drop of 25% in one week. Read more.

by Robert Carter

For Service During the Time of COVID-19

Sixty-seven-foot-high digital messages thanking health care workers were projected on the side of a building on the UAB Hospital campus Wednesday night. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Alabama’s COVID-19 Numbers Continue to Decline

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued to slow on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Public Health The agency had incomplete figures in its daily report on Tuesday and made up those numbers on the COVID Dashboard Wednesday. The report showed an increase of 1,375 over the two days, for an average of 678.5 cases per day for the period. That brought the state total to 112,126 since the pandemic began in mid-March. Alabama has averaged 763 new cases a day over the past week, down from the seven-day average of 855 daily one week ago. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

UAB Nasal Spray COVID Vaccine Showing Early Success in Animal Tests

Preclinical studies of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate at UAB show results that distinguish it from other vaccine candidates that also are in the advanced stages of clinical development, Maryland-based Altimmune announced Tuesday. AdCOVID is a single dose, intranasal spray. In animal models at UAB, it’s use resulted in a potent T-cell response at the mucus layer of the lungs, including killer CD8+ T-cells, which can recognize and kill virally infected cells. Recent reports have suggested the importance of T-cell responses for long-term protection from COVID-19. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald