Science

Alabama Reports Lowest Daily Number of COVID-19 Cases Since June

The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama dropped Tuesday to 536, the lowest daily count in more than seven weeks. Despite the lower number of cases, the Alabama Department of Public Health's daily report showed a total of 48 deaths for the latest 24-hour period, the second-highest daily figure since the pandemic began in mid-March. There were 57 deaths listed on July 22. The Health Department's COVID Dashboard lists a total of 99,926 confirmed cases and 1,781 deaths. An additional 3,630 cases and 64 deaths are presumed to have been related to the disease. Tuesday's total was the lowest since a count of 359 on June 28.  Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Total Grows by 1,655 Cases in Alabama

Alabama's COVID-19 total rose by 1,655 cases on Monday to a total of 99,390. The number of deaths from the disease was up by 26, leaving the total since the pandemic began in mid-March at 1,733. The Alabama Department of Public Health's data dashboard on Monday morning showed large numbers of new cases in several counties, including Mobile, Baldwin and Clarke in southwest Alabama. But the agency later said those county breakdowns were misleading, due to  technical issues. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Mobile-Area Counties Account for Half of Alabama’s New 1,655 COVID-19 Cases

With three Mobile-area counties accounting for half the cases, the state reported 1,655 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Mobile County reported 570 cases, Baldwin County added 107 and adjoining Clarke County had 164 to raise the state's total to 99,390 since the pandemic began in mid-March. Another 3,599 individuals are listed as probably having had the disease. The state reported 26 deaths for 24-hour period covered by the Alabama Department of Public Health's report. That raised the state total to 1,733, plus 61 listed as probably associated with the coronavirus. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Reports 1,122 New Cases of COVID-19 and 13 Deaths

There were 1,122 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths from the disease in Alabama over the latest 24-hour period, the state Department of Public Health reported Sunday. That brought the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began in March to 97,735. The daily average number of new cases for the past week fell to 1,275, its lowest since July 11. The total number of deaths stood at 1,707. Another 3,559 people are listed as probable cases of the disease, and 61 other deaths are listed as probably from it. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Another Jump in COVID-19 Cases Reported Saturday

Alabama reported its largest number of COVID-19 cases since last weekend Saturday, with three counties accounting for more than a third of the 1,786 new cases. The new 24-hour report by the Alabama Department of Public Health brought the number of cases of the coronavirus to 96,613, plus 3,560 others listed as probable COVID-19. The daily tally included 20 deaths, raising the total number for the state to 1,694, plus 61 shown as probable. Mobile County reported 271 cases, Jefferson County 226 and Clarke County 166. Clarke County is in southwest Alabama, just north of the Mobile area. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

UAB Awards Second Round of Grants for COVID Research

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has awarded its second round of grants, totaling $402,000, for urgent COVID-19 research. The 10 new pilot projects began Aug. 1 and will last six months. They were selected for their high probability of having an impact on the COVID-19 crisis within weeks or months. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

As Nursing Homes’ Stocks of PPE Get Too Low for Comfort, Ivey Grants Them $50 Million in COVID Aid

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday announced that up to $50 million in federal grants will be allocated to the state’s nursing homes to help respond to COVID-19. That’s welcome news for the state’s long-term care centers, as researchers recently found that one fourth of such facilities have less than a week’s worth of the kind of masks needed to protect workers from contracting coronavirus. Read more.

by Daniel Gaddy

Number of COVID-19 Cases and Daily Average Drop in Friday Report

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,425 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 deaths from the disease in its daily report Friday. That brought the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 94,827, with another 3,190 listed as probably from COVID-19 but still under study. The state's death toll stood at 1,674, plus 60 additional cases listed as probable. The case count was down from 1,626 on Thursday. The average number of new cases over the past seven days fell to 1,364 a day. That is the lowest daily average since a count of 1,351 on July 12.  Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Is in ‘Survival Mode’ Says University of Alabama Economist

Every sector in Alabama’s economy is shrinking this year because of the pandemic. That’s according to Samuel Addy, senior research economist and associate dean for economic development outreach at the University of Alabama. During a press conference Thursday, Addy joined Democrat Sen. Doug Jones to talk about Alabama’s economy, which they both agreed is in ‘survival mode.’ “All the help coming from D.C., the bills that the senator and others are working on, are not stimulus bills. They are actions and investments for survival,” Addy said. “We know that we are in a worse situation than a few months ago. We need to invest for survival because if we don’t survive, nothing matters.” Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Birmingham-Area Schools Nail Down Reopening Plans

As the beginning of schools’ fall term creeps nearer, school officials are nailing down their plans for educating students during the coronavirus pandemic. Those plans vary across the Birmingham area, and some school leaders emphasize that they still could change, depending on the severity of the outbreak. All schools will offer a virtual learning option. Some schools are only doing virtual learning for the first nine weeks, while other schools also have an option to attend school in person. Start dates also vary widely, from Fairfield’s Aug. 10 opening to Jefferson County’s Sept. 1 opening. See the current plans for Birmingham-area schools to open in the fall term. More stories on local school openings: Birmingham Schools Announce Online-Only Learning for First 9 Weeks Jefferson County Schools to Go Virtual-Only for First Nine Weeks; Some Student Athletes and Staff Have Tested Positive for COVID

by Jackson Sharman