coronavirus

Birmingham Schools Announce Online-Only Learning for First 9 Weeks

UPDATED — Dr. Mark Sullivan announced in a Wednesday press conference that all Birmingham City Schools would be starting the school year virtually on Aug. 24. Sullivan, the interim superintendent for BCS, made the announcement with Birmingham Board of Education members. All learning will be online for the first nine-week grading period. BCS will evaluate the safety of returning to in-person learning after that. “This decision was not made lightly, but at this juncture I believe it is our best option to assure the quality of education that we have for our students and to maintain a safe, nurturing environment for all of our students,” Sullivan said. Read more.

by Jackson Sharman

Record 57 Deaths From COVID-19 Reported Wednesday in Alabama

A record 57 people died of COVID-19 in Alabama during the 24-hour period reported Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health. The deaths, spread over 29 of the state's 67 counties, pushed the total since the pandemic began in mid-March to 1,325. Alabama is now averaging 21 deaths a day over the last two weeks. The highest single-day figures had been 47 deaths on July 15 and 40 on July 14. The Health Department's COVID-19 Dashboard also showed 1,338 new confirmed cases of the disease over the past day, raising the overall number to 70,413. The state is averaging 1,741 new cases daily for the past seven days and 1,713 a day over the last two weeks. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

More Than 15% of COVID-19 Tests in Jefferson County are Positive

This past week, 1,700 new individuals per day have been tested for the coronavirus in Jefferson County, with an average of 278 people a day testing positive and two a day dying. Those numbers give the county a positivity rate that tops 15%, the highest of any one week so far during the pandemic, county Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson said in a briefing Tuesday. Hospitals in Jefferson County are caring for 275 patients with the virus; 110 of those are in intensive care units and 52 on ventilators, Wilson said. Read more.

by By Virginia MacDonald

Alabama’s COVID-19 Count Drops to Lowest Number in 11 Days

Alabama recorded 1,364 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the lowest count in 11 days and well below the daily average for the past two weeks. There 11 deaths during the 24-hour period reported on the Alabama Department of Public Health's COVID-19 Dashboard. The number of confirmed new cases of the disease was the lowest since July 10, when 1407 cases were reported. The state is averaging 1,804 cases and 19 deaths daily over the last seven days and 1,701 cases and almost 19 deaths for the past two weeks. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Another 1,846 Cases of COVID-19 Reported Monday in Alabama

There were 1,846 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Alabama on Monday by the state Department of Public Health. The number of confirmed new cases of the disease brought the state's total to 67,711 since the pandemic began in mid-March. An additional 1,146 people were listed as probable, but as yet unconfirmed, cases. The state's COVID-19 Dashboard, in its daily 10 a.m. update, also listed three new deaths from the disease, bringing the statewide total to 1,257, plus 33 others listed as probable but still being investigated. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Count Tops 1,600 Daily for Eighth Consecutive Day

The Alabama Department of Public Health on Sunday reported 1,685 new cases of COVID-19 in the state, marking the eighth consecutive day with more than 1,600 new cases. The agency's COVID-19 Dashboard listed a total of 65,865 confirmed cases, plus 1,054 believed to be from the disease but not yet confirmed. There was one new death, bringing the overall count to 1,254, with 33 more listed as probably from the virus but still under investigation.  Alabama is now averaging 1,851 new cases a day over the past week and 1,601 daily during the last 14 days. The state is averaging 23 deaths daily for the last week and 19 a day over the past two weeks. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

More Than 2,000 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported Saturday in Alabama

Alabama added 2,069 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing its total to 64,180, the state Department of Public Health reported. That marked the fourth consecutive day the number of new cases has risen. The state is averaging 1,840 cases a day for the past week and 1,558 daily over the past 14 days. The Health Department's COVID-19 Dashboard showed an additional 21 deaths for the 24-hour period, raising the overall total to 1,253 since the pandemic began in mid-March. The agency said an additional 980 cases and 33 deaths probably were from the disease but were still being investigated. Jefferson County continued to be the hotspot for the virus, with 295 new cases to bring its total to 8,400. The state's most populous county reported one death, for a total of 183. Shelby County added 93 cases to raise its total to 2,148. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Not Just in the Lungs: Coronavirus Causes Blood Clots, Attacks the Brain, Can Result in Strokes and Organ Damage

In March, a Chinese researcher warned scientists and doctors to expect the unexpected with COVID-19. That researcher hit it on the nose, said UAB pulmonary critical care physician Dr. Sheetal Gandotra. "We had a lot to learn about the risk factors, symptoms, course of the disease, organ systems affected and recovery. But the basic tenets of excellent critical care remain the same.” As doctors treat COVID-19 patients with a constellation of symptoms and organ damage, researchers continue to try to determine health outcomes for virus survivors. They have no long-term studies to guide them, because the disease surfaced in China in November 2019. Initially, COVID-19 was thought of as a respiratory disease. But now, studies show the virus spreads its deadly effects through blood clots to the brain, heart, kidneys, endothelial cells that line blood vessels and other vital organs. From looking at the damage, some researchers have said a subset of patients who contract the coronavirus may suffer long-term damage from the disease. Autopsies of COVID victims have found that the virus attacked the lungs the most ferociously, but the pathogen was found in other vital body organs. Pathologists found that oxygen deprivation to the brain and the formation of blood clots may start early in the disease process. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

White House Document Shows 18 States in Coronavirus “Red Zone”

“This article about the coronavirus red zone was originally published by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, D.C.”> A document prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force but not publicized suggests more than a dozen states should revert to more stringent protective measures, limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, closing bars and gyms and asking residents to wear masks at all times. The document, dated July 14 and obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, says 18 states are in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases, meaning they had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population last week. Eleven states are in the “red zone” for test positivity, meaning more than 10 percent of diagnostic test results came back positive. Alabama is on the list for both red zones. Read more.

by Liz Essley Whyte Reporter, Center for Public Integrity

Birmingham Schools Discuss Plans to Reopen Aug. 24

The Birmingham Board of Education has formed a plan for students to start the new school year, but many questions remain about how learning will look. The interim superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, Dr. Mark Sullivan, said in a press conference Friday that BCS is in the process of figuring out how to start school while keeping students, parents and teachers healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, school officials are looking at four options. Read more.

by Jackson Sharman