A third Alabama prison inmate has died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the Department of Corrections announced today. All three inmates to have died after testing positive for the coronavirus have been at the St. Clair Correctional Facility. Read more.
As of Friday, there have been four days this week when the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 went over 600, marking the highest period for hospitalizations since the pandemic began in March. Read more.
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones said today that the nation is in the midst of a “crisis trifecta” from the pandemic, the economic crisis and the battle for equal rights and treatment, and black Americans are disproportionately affected by each of those. Jones spoke during a Facebook live video conference with Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “The events of the past few weeks have laid bare the fact that structural and systemic inequality exist in almost every layer of society in the United States of America,” Jones said. “We are in what I have called a crisis trifecta — from the coronavirus pandemic, to the economic crisis and the moral awakening of so many people in this country to the fact that there are so many of our brothers and sisters who are still being denied equal opportunities, equal rights and equal dignities.” Read more.
For the second consecutive day, Alabama recorded its biggest increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 859 new cases of the disease from 10 a.m. Thursday until 10 a.m. Friday, bringing the total number of cases confirmed in the state since the pandemic began to 23,333. There were 377 probable, but as yet unconfirmed, cases. The highest previous daily increase was 848 on Thursday. Read more.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Alabama jumped by 848 Thursday to 22,474, the state Department of Public Health reported in its daily update. Besides the confirmed cases, the agency listed 371 probable cases of the disease, meaning those affected are believed by health officials to have the disease but confirmation is pending. The figures are for the period from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. The case count was almost double the average increase of 439 a day for the seven-day period through Wednesday. Read more.
The number of new positive COVID-19 cases in Alabama continues to rise at a pace that concerns some health officials. Read more.
A UAB doctor said Wednesday that stay-at-home orders had kept the lid on the number of COVID-19 cases but with reopening, Alabama is “seeing the case counts go up.” Read more.
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said the state is prepared for the July 14 primary runoffs and he does not foresee problems here like the ones that happened during Georgia’s voting Tuesday. Merrill said all of the state’s 1,980 poll sites will be open for next month’s primary runoff elections. He said he knows of no shortage of poll workers, and he has asked all election officials in the state to let him know if there is a shortage. The issue of whether enough poll workers would be available to work on this election arose because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most poll workers are retired, election officials say, and people over 65 are more susceptible to the virus. Read more.
Alabama added 555 confirmed cases of COVID-19, along with 14 deaths from the disease, for the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Wednesday, the state Department of Public Health reported. There have been 21,626 confirmed cases, plus 363 probable cases, since the coronavirus pandemic began, the department said it is daily update. There have been 739 deaths from COVID-19 in the state, plus five more deaths that possibly resulted from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health’s daily updated showed figures for COVID-19 cases from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 10 a.m. Wednesday. Read more.
Birmingham has extended its face covering ordinance through July 3. The ordinance requires all Birmingham residents to wear face coverings in public places to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more.
