coronavirus

Religious Groups Working Around Pandemic to Celebrate Holidays and Tend to Flock This Year

Religious communities are exploring new ways of observing religious holidays, as well as for presenting their regular weekly services, this year as the coronavirus pandemic resurges across the nation. Religious groups in Birmingham and across Alabama turned to Facebook, YouTube, Zoom and their own websites earlier this year when COVID-19 spread across the state. The recent rise in the number of cases of the disease has prolonged the use of those alternate methods of worship and has led to innovative ways of celebrating religious holidays. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Health Experts: Scale Back Thanksgiving Plans To Avoid COVID-19

Dr. Michael Saag with the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases said at a Friday press conference that Alabama residents should treat the fight against COVID-19 like it’s a real war. “We’re on a tour of duty right now, and we know our tour of duty ends by Thanksgiving next year. So what can we do to stay as healthy and, frankly, stay alive and survive this tour of duty and get home safe?” Saag asked. Jefferson County, like much of the state, is seeing a “staggering” number of new COVID-19 cases, said Saag. Health experts say the county is averaging more than 300 new cases each day; that’s three times the daily rate from September. Since March, Jefferson County has recorded about 30,000 cases and nearly 500 deaths related to the virus. Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Hospitalized for Months: One Man’s Fight Against COVID-19

Since March, more than 22,000 Alabamians have been hospitalized with COVID-19, some requiring months of inpatient care. Victor Perea, 38, has been fighting the virus for almost three months at UAB Hospital. His wife, Magaly Cordova, said the diagnosis came as a shock. Before this illness, she said, Perea didn’t have any pre-existing conditions. “He was healthy,” Cordova said. “He was a gym guy – you know, eating healthy, go to the gym every day – and really careful about this virus.” Perea, who lives in Homewood, recently had gotten a new job installing IT systems. He found out he had COVID-19 in early September, after a co-worker tested positive for the virus. He's been in the hospital at UAB for three months, and remains in the Pulmonary Intensive Care Unit, and is slowly showing signs of improvement. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Football Programs Take a Big Hit from COVID-19

Football players at all levels are used to battles against their on-field opponents, who are easy to see though difficult to defend against. But the toughest opponent many teams have ever faced can’t be seen without a microscope. Yet it has the ability to make players very sick — and cripple entire programs. The COVID-19 virus has wreaked havoc on players and on high schools, colleges and professional teams, as well as the organizations that govern the sport. It’s also hurt countless others with ties to the game, from high school band boosters who sell food at home games to hotel and restaurant owners who cater to major college and pro fans on weekends. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Sharp Rise in Alabama COVID-19 Numbers Causing Alarm

With the number of new daily cases of COVID-19 up by almost half and the number of deaths reported each day up by more than 80% in two weeks’ time, the concern over a so-called “second wave” of infections is increasing. In this week’s BirminghamWatch analysis of coronavirus data, all numbers have taken a sharp turn for the worse. The 7-day average of daily new cases jumped from 1,438.71 two weeks ago to 2,121.29 on Wednesday, an increase of 48.3% and the highest level since the pandemic began. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Jones Pleads With Public to Follow COVID Safety Guidelines as Cases, Deaths Increase

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones on Wednesday urged people to listen to health care officials’ advice on the coronavirus, not the opinions of politicians. “We have now seen another surge in cases,” Jones said during a press conference with UAB’s Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo. “You will all recall that beginning last April, I kept admonishing folks, ‘Please, please listen to our health care professionals. Do not listen to politicians. Do not listen to anyone other than our health care professionals.’ “What we’ve seen come to pass is exactly what our health care professionals have said,” Jones continued. “As we get into the colder months, as we get into the winter, as people let their guard down and get a little COVID fatigue, we are going to see a rise in cases, and we are seeing a dangerous rise in cases at this point, more than we anticipated and more than we even saw in the summer.” Read more.

by Michelle Love

Rising COVID-19 Cases Starting to Strain Hospital Resources, Staff

Hospitals across the state are feeling the strain of a growing number of COVID-19 cases but are managing to keep up with patient needs, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association said Tuesday. “We are in a very precarious and potentially dangerous place right now in dealing with COVID cases,” said Dr. Don Williamson, a former state health officer who heads the Hospital Association. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Soar to Record Number

Alabama recorded its highest number of new cases of COVID-19 ever on Friday, with the state Department of Public Health reporting 2,980 total cases for the latest 24-hour period. There were 18 more deaths from the disease and a steady rise in the number of people being treated for the virus in Alabama hospitals. State and federal health officials have raised alarm over the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across the nation in recent days, and they have cautioned against another surge as people gather for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Nationwide, the number of new cases has grown from 100,000 a day eight days ago to a record 160,000 on Thursday, The New York Times reported. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Concerns Raised About COVID at Horizon Church Polling Place After Worker Tests Positive

Voters who cast their ballots last week at Horizon Church had to endure some very long lines. Now they’ll have to endure concern about possible exposure to COVID-19. A press release from the office of Jefferson County county manager Tony Petelos says there is a chance persons who voted at Precinct 5120, otherwise known as Horizon Church in Vestavia Hills, on Election Day may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. Coincidentally, that is the polling place of Jefferson County Presiding Probate Judge James P. Naftel II, who fielded an Election Day call from his wife about her waiting in the line or returning later. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Rapid Rise of Alabama, National COVID-19 Numbers Worries UAB Doctor

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo has been taking a close look at the recent data in the ongoing COVID-19 battle, and they have her worried. “(They are) astonishing numbers that I hope people do not become numb to,” Marrazzo, the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases for UAB Medicine, said as she opened an online press conference Wednesday morning. The numbers have been increasing steadily over the past few weeks, with new cases across the nation surpassing 140,000 Tuesday and deaths coming in at roughly 1,500. Alabama has followed suit, with 2,070 new cases and 81 new deaths reported Wednesday. However, as many as half of the deaths were reported at an earlier time and were added to the count after being investigated, an Alabama Department of Public Health official said in an email. Additionally, the number of patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 has increased significantly, both in the state and nationwide. Read more.

by Robert Carter