As more and more Alabamians get their vaccinations for COVID-19, the rate of deaths attributed to the virus keeps falling. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of COVID data, the 7-day average of deaths reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health has fallen to 20.14 per day. That’s less than half of where the average stood at the beginning of March and a whopping 87% below the peak average of 154.29 per day set Jan. 29. Read more.
A new location for Jefferson County residents to receive COVID-19 vaccine will open Friday in Center Point. UAB Medicine announced Tuesday that AOH Cathedral of the Cross, located at 1480 Center Point Parkway, would be the latest vaccination site to be operated by UAB. The announcment comes on the heels of Gov. Kay Ivey’s expansion of the list of people who are eligible to receive the vaccine. Starting next Monday, March 22, anyone aged 55 or older is eligible, in addition to those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The move by UAB expands a growing list of places where vaccinations are available, including Sam’s Club stores; CVS, Walgreen’s and some independent pharmacies; the Alabama Department of Public Health; and some health care clinics. UAB Medicine now operates four vaccination sites: AOH Cathedral of the Cross, Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Parker High School and UAB Hospital-Highlands. Read more.
There were 488 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths from the disease in Tuesday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. The report raised the number of cases in Alabama to 508,717 over the course of the pandemic. The state has averaged 585 new cases a day over the past week. There have been 10,337 deaths in the state from the coronavirus since the pandemic began a year ago. Read more.
Alabama’s counties and municipalities will soon receive millions of dollars — some tens of millions of dollars — under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act approved last week. While exact guidance and rules for spending haven’t yet been issued from the U.S. Department of Treasury, the act makes clear the money can be used beyond costs specific to the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re telling them to take a breath and to begin thinking about how to best use this opportunity for legacy-type programs,” Greg Cochran, executive director of the Alabama League of Municipalities, told Alabama Daily News about the group’s guidance to cities and towns. Read more.
The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 549 new cases of COVID-19 for the 24-hour period covered by its update on Monday, leaving the daily average at one-half the rate of one month ago. The state has averaged 590 cases a day over the past week. That compares to an average of 601 cases a day one week ago and 1,180 on Feb. 15. Monday's report included 549 new cases, plus 4,007 old cases that had not been previously reported. The state's overall total since the pandemic began a year ago stands at 508,229. Read more.
Alabama’s unemployment rate in the first month of 2021 was 4.3%, down from a revised December 2020 level of 4.7% and up from the pre-COVID January 2020 rate of 2.7% “As we begin a new year, it’s encouraging to see our monthly unemployment rate drop, marking a new record low since the pandemic began,” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “While we are still not where we were before this year of massive change, we are making progress. More people were employed this month, and fewer were unemployed, which is always good news.” Read more.
As of March 22, Alabama will expand coronavirus vaccine eligibility to include people ages 55 and older, people 16 and older who have high-risk medical conditions, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and additional critical workers. That’s about 2 million more people who will become eligible for the vaccine, while the state receives between 110,000 and 120,000 first doses of the vaccine each week, according to a statement released Friday by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Once the new categories are added, two-thirds of Alabama residents will be eligible for the vaccine. Read more.
The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 448 new cases of COVID-19 and 77 deaths from the disease in Friday's daily update. There have been 502,711 cases and 10,299 deaths in the state since the pandemic began a year ago. The state has averaged 546 cases a day over the past week, the lowest since an average of 539 a year last June 11. Read more.
MONTGOMERY — Alabama is set to receive more than $4 billion from the COVID-19 relief and stimulus package enacted this week. The bill, titled the American Rescue Plan Act, was passed by Congress this week and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday. Spending in the bill totals $1.9 trillion, including $350 billion directed to state and local governments. According to the Alabama Department of Finance, Alabama's share of that will be $4.043 billion. Department spokesman Susan Wilhelm confirmed to Alabama Daily News that of that money: $2.1 billion is earmarked for a state relief fund; $192 million will go toward a state capital projects fund; $417 million will go to metropolitan cities; $362 million will go to non-county municipalities; $951 million will go to counties. Read more.
Saturday will mark one year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Alabama, ushering in a year like no other. But David Marconnet’s experience during the pandemic is unique. The Huntsville software developer started a side project called Bama Tracker. It’s a website that displays public information about the pandemic in a clear, digestible way. That site has become a go-to place for professionals and amateurs to find data about the coronavirus in Alabama. Its reach has far surpassed what Marconnet though would happen when he started a year ago. “My expectation was it would probably be a couple months, maybe two or three months, and that we could potentially be through (the pandemic),” Marconnet said. By May, he created social media accounts for Bama Tracker. Reporters soon came calling. Marconnet declined interview requests initially, having never done media interviews. But after deciding to give it a shot, an interview ran on TV in Birmingham and changed everything. Read more.
