The statewide total of COVID-19 cases in Alabama grew by 481 today, and there were 11 new deaths from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health this morning released figures for COVID-19 cases from 10 a.m. Monday to 10 a.m. Tuesday. The agency said there have been 21,071 confirmed cases of the disease and 725 deaths since the pandemic began. It listed another 351 probable cases of COVID-19. Read more.
Nearly 100 employees of the Alabama Department of Corrections have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 16 whose positive tests were announced today. In a news release, the department said each of the 16 employees has self-quarantined. Read more.
Alabama has 424 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one more probable case reported. Between 10 a.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday, 26 more people died from the disease. Probable deaths remained at four. In all, 714 people have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. The state has had a total of 20,590 confirmed cases of the disease and 424 probable cases. Read more.
Alabama chalked up 457 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 between Saturday morning and Sunday morning, and three more people died of the disease in that period. The state has 20,166 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 334 probable cases. Deaths in the state have risen to 688 confirmed, with another four deaths characterized as probable. As of Sunday morning, 471 patients were hospitalized with the disease. Read more.
Social distancing has taken a backseat to social statements the past week as persons have assembled in large numbers to protest the death of George Floyd and to call for change. But state health officials worry that the combination of crowds and the coronavirus could greatly amplify COVID-19 cases in Alabama and the U.S. They urge people to remain mindful of social distancing, hygiene and face covering recommendations as they assemble. Dr. Karen Landers, assistant state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said she and others in her department are deeply concerned and saddened about the death of George Floyd. And they say persons have the right to peaceful assembly to express their individual and collective opinions. “But we do remain concerned when there's a congregate group of any size for any reason, and social distancing measures are not taking place,” Landers said. “It concerns me as a physician to see people that are in large groups that aren't taking any measures." Read more.
Confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Alabama have risen by 2,742 in the past week, an average of 391.7 cases per day. Deaths also have risen by 79, an average of 11.3 deaths a day. That shows a decrease in average daily cases and a slight increase in average daily deaths from the week before, when the state averaged 519 total cases and 9.9 deaths a day. Case counts and deaths reported on the Alabama Department of Public Health’s website had been undercounted this past week because the national surveillance system had been overwhelmed, department officials said. The result was that the site appeared to indicate Alabama was making more progress in the fight against the coronavirus than it actually was. But the department reported Saturday morning that the backlog had been cleared. Read more.
The Jefferson County Department of Health order that banned the opening of entertainment venues is set to expire at midnight Saturday, June 6. The county will then fall under the statewide order issued on May 21 by the state health officer. That order includes rules for entertainment venues, including social distancing, limited occupancy rates, sanitation requirements and use of facial masks by employees. Though the order prohibiting operation of entertainment venues will expire Saturday night, unincorporated areas of Jefferson County will remain under a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Read more.
(Updates with comments urging people who take part in large gatherings such as protests to take precautions against spreading the coronavirus.) COVID-19 cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health have been incomplete this week, and more people have contracted the disease than the numbers being reported on the department’s website show. The problem comes from an overwhelmed national surveillance system, which has caused delays in obtaining information, according to an email from Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Karen Landers in response to BirminghamWatch questions. “Once the issue is resolved, more cases will be added to the data set which will show an increase in cases,” she said. Read more.
Alabama ended Tuesday with 18,474 confirmed cases of COVID-19, up just 228 cases from Monday’s total. The state also listed 297 probable cases of the disease. Seven more people died Tuesday, for a total of 651 confirmed deaths and 2 probable cases since the pandemic began. Read more.
The Jefferson County Department of Health has released COVID-19 numbers by areas in the county, but not down to the ZIP code level that local officials and the media have been requesting. Health department officials have said releasing information by ZIP code would violate federal medical privacy laws. So, they created regions, which can include one or more ZIP codes, that take in 20,000 or more people where there have been at least 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The material does show some areas where the coronavirus has penetrated more deeply, including several western, southwestern and north-central areas of the county and sections of Birmingham, but the concentration is lighter in other areas. Read more.
