coronavirus

Daily COVID-19 Count Drops to 1,037 New Cases in Sunday Report

The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama dropped to its lowest daily total in almost three weeks on Sunday when the state Department of Public Health reported 1,037 cases. The count was below 1,000 for the first time since 888 cases were reported on July 7, and was well below the statewide averages of 1,641 cases a day over the past week and 1,746 daily in the last 14 days. The Health Department's COVID-19 Dashboard also saw a decline in the number of deaths, with 15 listed. That is below the average of 25 a day over the past seven days and 24 daily over the last two weeks. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Jefferson County Tops 10,000 Cases and Reaches 200 Deaths in COVID-19 Report

Jefferson County surpassed the 10,000 mark in new cases and reached 200 deaths from COVID-19 in Saturday's coronavirus report by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state's most populous county recorded 286 confirmed new cases of the disease to raise its total to 10,095 since the pandemic began in March. The county reported three deaths to reach to 200 mark. The Health Department's report for the latest 24-hour period showed 1,949 new cases statewide, pushing the total to 76,314. There were 18 deaths for a total of 1,413. It said an additional 1,640 cases and 43 deaths are believed to have been from COVID-19 but are still under study. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

With End of $600 Unemployment Benefit, Groups Expect Surge in Evictions, Homelessness

As Congress debates another stimulus package, many Alabama residents will now see their weekly unemployment checks drop to less than $300. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Alabama Reports 1,669 Cases of COVID-19 and 38 Deaths in Friday Update

Alabama's COVID-19 count climbed by 1,669 cases Friday, and the state Department of Public Health reported 38 deaths from the disease in its daily report. The number of confirmed cases of the disease was down from Thursday's record 2,283 cases. The agency's COVID Dashboard showed a total of 74,365 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus since the pandemic began in March, and 1,395 deaths. Another 1,516 cases and 40 deaths were listed as probably resulting from COVID-19 but still under study. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birmingham-Area Schools’ Plans for Reopening

Schools across the state are deciding when and how to reopen schools in the fall. The state Department of Education set out several options for systems to consider, including in-person learning, virtual learning and blended plans, and said all parents have the option to enroll their children in a virtual learning program. Here is where Birmingham-area schools stand on planning for the start of school. Read more.

by Jackson Sharman

Work Release Suspension Has Hurt the Pockets of Inmates, Prisons and Victims

UPDATED — Responding to the coronavirus, the Alabama Department of Corrections suspended its work release program in mid-March, and figures for May show how that decision has led to a drastic drop in inmate earnings, the amount of restitution that work release inmates pay to their victims, and the amount of inmate earnings that goes to corrections itself. Payments to victims were cut by almost $100,000 in May, which includes some time before the program was suspended, compared to February. Money to corrections was cut more than $700,000, and $534,000 less was deposited to inmates’ accounts. Read more.

by Tom Gordon

UAB to Start Human Trial on COVID-19 Vaccine Next Month

UAB researchers said today that they will begin Phase II human trials next month on a vaccine for COVID-19 developed by Oxford University with pharmaceutical giant AstroZeneca. About 500 participants will receive the vaccine locally as part of a nationwide trial of 33,000 participants. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Skip the Politics, Wear a Mask, Jefferson County Commissioner Knight Says

Before Tuesday’s Jefferson County Commission committee meeting, Joe Knight asked fellow commissioner Steve Ammons how he felt. When Ammons, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said he felt fine, Knight quipped, “You don’t look very good.” Today, as Ammons again watched the commission meeting in Bessemer online from home, Knight appealed to everyone to wear a mask to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Alabama Reports a Record 2,283 New Cases of COVID-19 on Thursday

There was a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases overnight in Alabama, with a record 2,283 cases reported Thursday by the state Department of Public Health. The daily report marked only the third time the state has recorded more than 2,000 cases for a 24-hour period. The count was up from 1,338 the previous day and raised the state's total number of cases to 72,696 since the pandemic began in mid-March. Another 1,400 cases were listed as "probable" for the disease but still being investigated.  There were 32 deaths reported in the daily count, raising the state's overall total to 1,357, plus 39 listed as probable. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Cases Up, Deaths Up, COVID-19 Continues to Grow in Alabama Week Over Week

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues throughout the nation, Alabama’s numbers in new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and positivity rates are reaching new highs — and causing some states to suggest or mandate that people who visit Alabama undergo a quarantine upon return. In BirminghamWatch’s weekly analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the 7-day moving average of new cases for the period ending July 22 has jumped to 1,741.14 per day. That’s up by 55 cases per day. Earlier in the week, the 7-day average set a new record of 1,851. The longer-term 14-day moving average stands at a record high of 1,713.50. The state has a total of 70,413 positive cases, a hike of 12,188 cases from seven days beforehand. The total is doubling about every 23 days, and Alabama remains on track to reach 100,000 positive cases on or about Aug. 3. Read more.

by Robert Carter