coronavirus

754 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported for Alabama

There were 754 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths from the disease listed in Monday's update by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Those figures pushed the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began in March to 131,405 and the number of confirmed deaths to 2,292. Another 14,375 cases and 147 deaths were listed as probable. The average number of new cases per day stood at 729 over the past week and 709 during the past 14 days. The latter figure, for the past two weeks, rose Monday to its highest level since an average of 741 on Sept. 11. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Hospitalizations in Alabama Continue to Decline

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is continuing to decline, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported Sunday. There were 746 people in Alabama hospitals on Saturday for treatment of the disease, the agency said in its daily coronavirus update. That is down from 775 a week earlier, 829 two weeks ago and 1,160 on Aug. 20. The COVID-19 Dashboard showed 677 new confirmed cases of the disease on Sunday, pushing the state's total to 130,651 since the first case was reported on March 13. Another 14,311 cases were listed as probable, for a total of 144,962. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

‘Be Like Pearl’: A Woman so Admired She Inspired New Year’s Resolutions Was Felled by COVID-19

FORKLAND — If the Wizard of Oz had known Pearlean Slay, he would have called her a “good deed doer.” In the movie, that line was targeted for the Tin Man, who had come to the wizard in search of a heart. To hear her friends and loved ones tell it, Pearl Slay’s heart was as big as the Emerald City. That heart stopped beating on May 29, two months shy of Slay’s 71st birthday, after a month-long battle with the coronavirus, and she entered a lineup of grim categories covering the nearly 2,300 Alabamians who have died after testing positive for COVID-19. Read more. More of BW’s Not Forgotten: Alabama’s COVID Dead.

by Tom Gordon

Alabama Records Highest Number of COVID-19 Cases This Month in Saturday Report

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,156 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the highest daily total so far in September. The count was the highest for a single day since a total of 1,172 confirmed cases on Aug. 30. The agency's daily dashboard showed a total of 129,974 confirmed cases plus 14,190 probable cases of COVID-19, for a total of 144,164 since the state reported its first positive diagnosis on March 13.  The number of confirmed cases was below the 600 mark three times this week, dropping to a low of 504 on Monday, Sept. 14. Saturday's report was the second in September when the daily total topped the 1,000 level -- the previous time having been 1,038 on Sept. 5. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

721 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported Friday, But Trends Remain Positive

Despite an uptick in the number of new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, Alabama continued to show a positive overall trend in caseloads and hospitalizations from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 721 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, raising the total for the pandemic to 128,818. Another 14,045 cases were listed as probable, for a total of 142,863. The case count was the highest since a total of 726 on Sept. 12. The average number of new cases stood at 674 a day over the past week. That is down from the daily average of 687 one week ago and 795 two weeks ago. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Totals Increase by 574 Cases, Seven Deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 574 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday. The state's overall totals for the disease throughout the pandemic stood at 128,097 confirmed cases and 2,264 confirmed deaths. The SDPH Dashboard listed an additional 13,660 cases as probable for a total of 141,757 cases, and 137 deaths as probable for a total of 2,401. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 New Case Averages Mixed, Death Reports Turning Upward

Data on the spread of COVID-19 in Alabama this week is a mixed bag, with the average number of cases higher than last week but lower than two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the average number of deaths has increased over the past week. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Mask Designed at UAB Can Protect You and Others From COVID While Taking Your Temperature and Pulse, Too. (No. It doesn’t do windows)

A fully transparent face mask designed by UAB’s chief innovation officer can include sensors to monitor the body’s temperature and pulse for early detection of viral infections, such as COVID-19. The mask design features a clear plastic mouth covering and clear nose barriers, chin barriers and ergonomic looped arms that secure around a wearers’ ear, said Rubin Pillay, Ph.D., who is the chief innovation officer at UAB’s School of Medicine. Pillay called his design “the world’s first smart mask.” Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

On Second Thought: Hoover City Schools Return Elementary Students to Classrooms, but Not Older Kids

The Hoover City School District has altered a decision to return students to classrooms on a full-time basis because of a turn for the worse in local COVID-19 data. Instead, parents of children in fifth grade and younger who opted for in-school education will attend classes four days a week beginning Monday, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the system. That’s up from the two days a week that those students attend now. But those in grades six and higher will stay with the staggered two-day schedule — a reversal of a previous decision by the system to return to in-school classes every day. Parents who opted for virtual learning for their children may continue using that system. Read more.

by Robert Carter

710 New Cases of COVID-19, Four Deaths Listed in Wednesday Update

Alabama recorded 710 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths from the disease in Wednesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. There have been 127,523 confirmed cases and 2,257 confirmed deaths in the state throughout the pandemic. An additional 13,564 cases and 135 deaths are listed as probably from the coronavirus. Over the past two weeks, the state has averaged 664 new cases per day. That is down from an average of 880 cases a day on Sept. 1 and a peak of 1,787 on July 25.  Read more.

by BirminghamWatch