coronavirus

789 New Cases of COVID-19, No Additional Deaths in Alabama

There were 789 new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama but no new deaths during the latest 24-hour counting period, the state Department of Public Health reported Sunday. Alabama has recorded 140,445 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 18,724 probable cases for a total of 159,169, the agency reported in its daily update. The number of cases has grown by 6,848 since last Sunday for an average of 978 cases per day. The daily average has been 959 cases over the past month. The death toll from COVID-19 remained at 2,558 in Sunday's report.  Read more.

Drug Being Used to Treat Trump Was Developed at UAB

Remdesivir, the drug being used to treat President Trump for COVID-19, was developed at UAB several years ago under a federal drug-discovery grant. The drug proved tried as a method to fight Ebola but proved ineffective. In the spring, scientists tested it against the novel coronavirus, and it showed early positive results. It was approved for use in hospitalized patients being treated for COVID-19. The president was given his second dose of the five-day remdesivir protocol on Saturday. Read the story BirminghamWatch wrote about the drug when it began to show promise this spring.

UAB Drug Remdesivir Is First to Block the COVID-19 Virus, May Become Standard of Care. Fauci “Optimistic.”

Alabama’s COVID-19 Total Rises by 1,682 Cases in Saturday Report

The number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama grew by 1,682 in Saturday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 158,380 cases since the pandemic began in March, including 139,726 confirmed cases and 18,654 listed as probable. The state has averaged 891 new cases a day over the past two weeks. The new report included eight deaths for the 24-hour period. Alabama has recorded 2,558 deaths, including 2,416 confirmed and 142 listed as probable. Read more.

Trump’s Positive Test Proves COVID-19 Can Affect Anyone, UAB Doctor Says

The news of President Donald Trump’s positive test result Thursday night shows that the COVID-19 virus is not a respecter of persons or position, according to a specialist in infectious diseases for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “If one of the most powerful leaders in the world is susceptible to COVID and its consequences, that’s incredibly sobering and sad, and I’m very sorry it happened,” said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who works in UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases. Speaking Friday in the school’s regular online news conference about the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and its effects, Marrazzo said, “I really, really hope that it perhaps makes some people who might have dismissed COVID and haven’t experienced the personal effects of it sit up and pay attention, because you can prevent yourself, protect yourself, protect yourself and your family and your community by doing the things that we have been boringly and endlessly repeating every single time we get together, which is wearing a mask, social distancing and hand hygiene.” Read more.

954 New Cases, Two Deaths from COVID-19 in Friday Update

There were 954 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths from the disease during the past 24 hours, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported Friday morning. The additions brought the state's total to 156,698 cases, including 138,989 confirmed and 17,709 probable. There have been 2,550 deaths from COVID-19 in the state since the pandemic began. That includes 2,409 confirmed and 141 probable. Read more.

Absentee Ballots Hit Jefferson County Like a “Monsoon,” Clerk Says

Alabama set a high for absentee ballots in 2012, when 89,000 were successfully cast. But Secretary of State John Merrill said the state is on pace to surpass that number. “For the Nov. 3 general election, we've actually had more than 125,000 ballot applications that have been submitted to us and more than 50,000 that have been successfully returned already,” he said. “As you can see,” Merrill said, “we're going to shatter that record.” But the secretary of state said election officials in the state’s 67 counties aren’t worried because they’re ready. “We've already made preparations for this, hiring additional people, enabling more than what we would perceive the necessary number of tabulators to be available on election day to process the ballots,” he said. Read more.

Social Distancing, Hand Washing and Masks: UAB Tips to Protect Yourself From the Coronavirus

Health experts repeatedly have said the best ways to avoid the coronavirus are thorough handwashing, wearing a mask and social distancing. Here are reminders from UAB experts on how to do those things effectively.

Daily Dashboard Adds 1,043 Cases of COVID-19 on Thursday

Alabama recorded 1,043 new cases of COVID-19 in Thursday's daily update by the state Department of Public Health. The agency's dashboard showed a total of 155,744 cases in Alabama since the pandemic began in March. That includes 138,162 confirmed cases and 17,582 listed as probable. The number of total cases has grown by 7,538 over the past week and 13,987 over the past two weeks. Thursday's report listed eight new deaths. There have been 2,548 deaths in Alabama from the disease, including 2,405 confirmed and 143 probable, the dashboard showed. Read more.

Gov. Ivey Extends COVID-19 Mask Order

Gov. Kay Ivey extended a statewide face mask order through Nov. 8. The order requires face masks to be worn in public to try to limit the spread of coronavirus. Ivey made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday. The rule was set to expire Friday, but the new deadline extends it past Election Day and much of the remaining high school and college football seasons. Read more.

ADPH Reports Jump in COVID-19 Count

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported a large increase Wednesday in the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the state, but officials said the figures include older information from a testing lab. The agency's daily dashboard showed 1,147 total new cases of the disease, up from 571 in the previous day's report. ADPH said a laboratory transmitted statistics into the system that included cases from an unspecified number of previous days, inflating the daily total. The dashboard listed 154,701 cases in Alabama since the pandemic began in March. That includes 137,564 cases that are confirmed to have been from the disease and 17,137 that are listed as probable. Read more.