coronavirus

ADPH in Ongoing Battle to Make Sure COVID-19 Test Reports Are Clear, Timely

Elected officials, business leaders, school systems and news media — among others — keep a close eye on the numbers of Alabama COVID-19 cases every day, with a wary watch on trends the data might indicate. When those numbers suddenly spike on a single day, as they sometimes have in the past couple of weeks, many people may scratch their heads in confusion or fear. The explanation in almost all cases is one of bureaucracy. In not-so-technical terms, it’s a “data dump.” The great majority of results of tests given by hospitals and county health departments, and those processed in larger quantities by laboratories, go through the system swiftly and almost untouched by human hands. But with the onset of the pandemic, there are many medical establishments that have conducted public COVID-19 testing but weren’t aware that they were required to report all test results to the state. When ADPH discovers these entities, it requires them to report all their testing, sometimes resulting in the addition of hundreds of cases from past weeks. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Alabama’s COVID-19 Case Total Climbs Past 200,000

Alabama eclipsed another milestone Friday when the number of COVID-19 cases climbed above the 200,000 mark. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,556 new cases of the disease in its daily update, pushing the total number of cases since the pandemic began in March to 200,714. There have been 170,446 confirmed cases and 30,268 listed as probable. The agency added 23 deaths statewide, raising the overall total to 3,049: 2,839 confirmed and 210 probable. The average number of new cases per day has risen steadily over the past month. The state averaged 1,325 new cases a day for the week that ended Thursday, compared to 1,200 a day for the seven days through Oct. 31. One month ago, the average was 989 a day. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Ivey Extends Mask Mandate Through Dec. 11

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Thursday that she is extending the state’s public health order through Dec. 11. This means residents will still be required to wear face masks in public, and when in close contact to others, to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

As More Students Return to School, Officials Brace for ‘Rolling Blackouts’

Following the release of a new dashboard, state education officials are optimistic about the number of coronavirus cases in Alabama schools. But challenges remain. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Rising Numbers of New COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations and Positivity Rates in Alabama Over Past Week

The number of Alabama patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 has continued to rise in the past seven days, as has the count of people testing positive each day. In BirminghamWatch’s weekly analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health, hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients surpassed 1,000 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the 7-day moving average is just under the thousand mark. Tuesday’s report of 1,047 hospitalizations was a jump of 80 over the day before and reached a level not seen since Aug. 27. However, it’s still lower by more than 35% than the high of 1,613 hospitalized patients set Aug. 6. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Count Tops 3,000 Mark

Alabama's death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic climbed above the 3,000 mark in Wednesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. The agency reported 19 deaths in its daily report, pushing the total since the pandemic began in mid-March to 3,006. That includes 2,799 confirmed cases and 207 listed as probable. The total number of cases grew by 1,848 during the latest 24-hour period, reaching a total of 197,777. There have been 168,155 confirmed cases and 29,662 shown as probable. A spokesman for the Health Department said the daily figure was for the latest 24-hour period and did not include reports from previous days. It was the largest increase in single-day cases in more than a month. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Economy Shows Signs of Revival, New Opportunities in the Midst of COVID-19

There is sadness and economic disappointment in Alabama associated with the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, but some indicators are pointing to signs of revival, at least on the economic front. Total nonfarm payroll in metro Birmingham-Hoover indicates about 27,000 fewer workers employed in 2020 than had jobs in 2019, with 520,800 workers having jobs this year, according to government statistics. But overall, unemployment numbers have dropped for Alabama in recent months. According to Alabama Department of Labor statistics, the latest official unemployment rate for Alabama is 5.6%. That unemployment data has improved since August, when it was reported as 7.9%. As a comparison, U.S. unemployment data shows a current rate of 8.4%, down from 10.2% last month. Read more.

by D. Mark Singletary

COVID-19 Cases Continue Steady Growth, with 1,699 New Cases in Saturday Report

The number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama continued a steady climb on Saturday as the state Department of Public Health reported 1,699 new cases and 35 deaths from the disease. It was the greatest number of new cases reported in a single day in more than a month, pushing Alabama's total to 192,285 cases since the pandemic began in March. The department added 1,789 cases to the overall count in Saturday's report but said 90 of those came from a lab in Covington County for the period of Aug. 6 to Oct. 27. There have been 164,295 confirmed cases and 27,990 listed as probable. Alabama's death count for the pandemic reached 2,967, including 2,761 confirmed and 206 probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birmingham Cancels Court Hearings Because of Rising Coronavirus Threat

Birmingham has postponed all in-person court appearances in its municipal courts beginning Monday because of rising COVID-19 cases. A statement released by the Municipal Court said scheduled appearances — including for hearings in misdemeanor, traffic and parking cases — have been postponed until further notice. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

After an Earlier Decline, COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Are on the Rise Again

Alabama’s COVID-19 case numbers had been declining recently, but that’s taken a turn for the worse in the past few weeks. Like much of the country, Alabama has seen increases in the moving averages of new cases per day, with the 7-day average now at 1,183.57 per day and the 14-day average at 1,147.57. Hospitalizations also have spiked to more than 1,000 for the first time in two months. The cumulative total of positive tests as of Wednesday had risen to 187,706. Of those, 160,380 are confirmed cases and the rest are listed as probable cases. The moving averages of new daily cases are now at their highest levels since early September, though they still are still well below the peaks of July. Read more.

by Robert Carter