coronavirus

You Know Delta, but Have You Met Mu and the Rest of the Relatives?

Viruses mutate. Researchers say there always will be new variant strains of the COVID-19 virus, although all the strains won’t be as deadly as delta. The delta strain has made COVID more deadly for the unvaccinated. It is responsible for 90% of the 40 million COVID cases in the U.S and the deaths of 648,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It spreads much faster and may cause more severe cases than other variants, according to the CDC. The delta strain is not alone. There are many variants being studied by researchers and scientists. Last Friday, the World Health Organization added the mu strain to its list of COVID variants of interest. It joins eta, iota, kappa and lambda on the list. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Alabama’s COVID-19 Average Continues Decline

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 4,367 new cases of COVID-19 in its daily update Thursday, reflecting a continued drop in the weekly average. The report brought the number of cases for the pandemic to 736,518. The state has averaged 3,827 new cases a day over the past week -- down by 878 cases daily from Thursday of last week. ADPH reported 64 new deaths from COVID-19, raising the state’s total for  the pandemic to 12,552. Alabama has averaged 32 deaths a day over the past week, unchanged from a week ago. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

COVID Policies Vary by School District, Causing Confusion for Parents

The state of Alabama has issued recommendations to school districts on how to handle COVID-19 in the classroom. But many of them are just recommendations, giving districts lots of flexibility in setting their own COVID-19 protocols. Read more.

by Kyra Miles, WBHM

Hitting a Peak or Holiday Anomaly? Alabama’s COVID New-Case Averages Going in Different Directions

It’s a bit hard to tell which direction the COVID numbers in Alabama are taking right now, and the Labor Day weekend may be the primary reason — or not. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of the state’s COVID data, the number of new cases took a significant dip over the holiday period. But the two main moving averages are at cross currents as far as indicating a trend, and the first day of reporting after the holidays has showed numbers jumping up to higher levels once again. The 7-day moving average of new daily cases fell to 3,961.57 as of Wednesday, showing the effect of three straight daily reports of below 3,000 cases. The short-term average dropped by 28.5% over seven days before, when a record of 5,538.14 was reached. Read more.

by Robert Carter

COVID Infusion Therapy Effective at Reducing Severity of Disease — If You Get It Soon Enough

Monoclonal antibody therapy to lessen the severity of COVID’s delta strain may be the only drug at this time on which vaxxers and anti-vaxxers can agree. Some anti-vaccination advocates are counting on being able to get the therapy if they contract COVID, while people who are vaccinated but still get the virus turn to it to lessen the effects of the disease. Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system to clear infections. For viruses such as COVID-19, these proteins are critical to stop the infection. But the bottom line is that the therapy does not work unless it is given in the first 10 days of COVID symptoms. “The problem is that our immune system takes two to three weeks to make good antibodies,” said UAB professor and Dr. Turner Overton. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Congressional Committee Questions Alabama’s ‘Slow’ Distribution of Rental Assistance

MONTGOMERY --  About $15.5 million in pandemic Emergency Rental Assistance had gotten to 2,308 Alabamians as of last week, according to the Alabama Housing Finance Authority, the entity charged with distributing up to $263 million in federal funding. Through Sept. 1, 35,664 applications had been withdrawn because the applicants started but failed to complete the application process, the authority said. Meanwhile: 950 applications have been denied; 5,389 applications have been deemed viable for final review; 7,468: applications are in various stages of follow up with applicants for missing or incomplete information; 12,135: applications remain started by applicants but have yet to be fully submitted. The authority provided Alabama Daily News with this data in response to questions about a letter it and Gov. Kay Ivey received last week from U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chair of the House’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. He wants to know why Alabama hasn’t been quicker in distributing the millions of dollars in rental assistance to those who need it. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

COVID-19 Count in Alabama Shows Decline Since Last Week

The number of new Covid cases in Alabama has dropped steadily since last week, and the seven-day average of new cases has fallen by 758 a day over the same timeframe, according to the state Department of Public Health. Last Thursday, the seven-day average of new cases per day was 4,705. By Tuesday, the average had dropped to 3,947, ADPH reported 5,312 new cases on Thursday, and the daily figure had dropped to 2,672 by Tuesday. There have been 727,360 cases of the coronairus reported in Alabama since the pandemic began in March 2020. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

COVID Vaccines Coming to a Football Game Near You

WBHM The Alabama Department of Health is trying to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread by offering the vaccine at college football games across Alabama. Read more.

by WBHM

COVID-19 Spread Reaches Record Pace in Alabama

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued at a record pace over the past week, according to Friday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There were 5,128 new cases on Friday, raising the total for the pandemic to 714,860. The state has averaged 4,719 new cases a day over the past week, eclipsing the record of 4,705 set on Thursday. The highest seven-day average before then was 4,381 on Jan. 10. There have been 12,394 deaths from Covid, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health Covid dashboard. The agency on Friday reported 64 new deaths, compared to Thursday’s 32 deaths, for a seven- day average 34. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Labor Day, Football Crowds Create ‘Perfect Storm’ for COVID-19 Surge

The Labor Day holiday and the start of football season are creating a perfect storm for the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, especially in Alabama with its low vaccination rate, doctors at UAB warned Thursday. It’s important to make good choices to avoid contracting the virus, two UAB doctors said. Typically, there has a been spike in the number of Covid cases about 10 days after each holiday, said Dr. Suzanne Judd, professor and epidemiologist in the UAB School of Public Health. Although it’s generally more important to wear masks indoors than outdoors, she said, “If people are gathered, wear a mask.” Judd said the start of football season raises the risk of a major the spread of the Delta variant because people are seated close together in stadiums, and there is yelling and screaming that forces saliva from mouths.  Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald