coronavirus

New Positive COVID-19 Case Numbers Take Sharper Rise as Looser Restrictions Take Hold in Alabama

Alabamians are enjoying a return to something slightly closer to the old, pre-COVID-19 lifestyle, but a steeper increase in the number of new positive cases in the past week could prove worrisome for government officials as they seek to further loosen the reins on the public and reopen the economy. The number of new cases rose by more than 22% during the seven-day period ending Wednesday, compared to the week before, which itself had shown the highest rate of increase in cases since the pandemic began. The most recent figures show that 16,032 people have tested positive for coronavirus since testing began in March, according to data updated daily by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The total stood at 13,052 last week, giving the state an increase of 2,980 cases this week. Read more.

by Robert Carter

UAB Doctor Calls Rise in COVID-19 Cases ‘Concerning,’ Urges Personal Responsibility to Stem the Spread

UAB epidemiologist Dr. Rachael Lee today said that Alabamians will have to exercise personal responsibility to keep the state’s increasing COVID-19 infections from overwhelming the health care system. Lee said that the increasing number of positive cases is “concerning,” particularly as the state increasingly relaxes restrictions and as the number of tests administered remains steady. Alabama is one of several states being watched because the number of confirmed positive cases of the potentially deadly viral infection are going up. Lee held UAB’s weekly coronavirus press conference the day after the largest single day increase in coronavirus cases in the state. She addressed a wide range of questions during the more than 45-minute-long press conference, dealing largely with the spike in cases, hospitals’ nearing capacity in some areas, how the coronavirus differs from the flu, remdesivir, the feared second wave and the ongoing need for personal protective measures. Read more.

by Nick Patterson

UAB Doctor Urges Personal Responsibility for Stemming Rise in COVID-19 Cases

UAB epidemiologist Dr. Rachael Lee today said that Alabamians will have to exercise personal responsibility to keep the state’s increasing COVID-19 infections from overwhelming the health care system. Lee said that the increasing number of positive cases is “concerning,” particularly as the state increasingly relaxes restrictions and as the number of tests administered remains steady. Alabama is one of several states being watched because the number of confirmed positive cases of the potentially deadly viral infection are going up. Read more.

by Nick Patterson

Alabama Reports Highest Number of New Cases to Date … Again

Alabama posted its largest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases Tuesday. At midnight, 664 new cases of the disease had been reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health for the day, taking the state’s confirmed cases to 15,650. Also, 14 more people died Tuesday, taking the total to 580. The increases are part of trend as daily new case numbers grow. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birmingham Will Allow Mask Rule to Expire Friday

Birmingham will allow its face covering ordinance to expire Friday, Mayor Randall Woodfin confirmed Tuesday. The order, which had been in place since May 1, was intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 by requiring residents to wear face coverings — such as masks, bandanas or other fabrics — while in public. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Alabama Nears 15,000 COVID-19 Cases, 15 More People Die

Alabama added 508 cases of COVID-19 to its tabulation on Memorial Day, and 15 more people died. The additions brought total cases to 14,986 and total deaths to 566. Alabama started reopening on May 1 although the state was not seeing a sustained downward trend in cases. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Getting Out of China

Birmingham-Southern College student Griffith Hawk did not intend to leave China so abruptly, but when the pandemic started to make its way across the country, he didn’t have a choice. Studying Mandarin Chinese in a college in the southeastern city of Guilin, Hawk was on winter break, visiting Beijing, when coronavirus got real for him. “At the end of January, I was given a notice, basically by the people who are organizing the language program I was on, and my school, that I had five days to get out of the country,” he recalled. “So I had to get back to my dorm in the south part of China, from the north, in a day and pack and then get home. “At that point I was told I would be able to return. But it became pretty quickly apparent that I was unable to return.” Hawk made it out of China without getting infected by COVID-19. And although he got back home unscathed, his experience gives a glimpse into how China changed quickly into a country in lockdown as the virus began to make inroads — before it changed the lives of people around the globe in such a dramatic and evolving fashion. Read more. More Stories From the Pandemic Facing Life With Celebration, Caution After COVID-19 Recovery Birmingham Health Care Worker Who Caught Virus ‘Had a Feeling That Things Weren’t Normal’

by Nick Patterson

Alabama COVID-19 Cases Up to 14,478, Deaths at 551

COVID-19 cases in Alabama rose to 14,478 by late Sunday, 329 more cases than had been reported late Saturday. Deaths were up by two, for a total of 551. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Senate Confirms New Intelligence Chief, Elections Commissioner

The Senate voted largely along party lines to confirm two Trump appointees last week. Read more.

by Voterama in Congress

Opinions Vary on Possible Special Session, but Outstanding Issues Are Plenty

MONTGOMERY — Hundreds of proposed bills, including high-priority prison and economic development proposals, died when the coronavirus outbreak upended the Alabama Legislature's 2020 regular session. Now, when the House and Senate will return to Montgomery for a special session and what topics they’ll address are still up in the air. Some Senate leaders, frustrated by the final days of the condensed session, say they don't see a reason to return to Montgomery this year. But others said there is business left to handle, including extending a job creation tax credit that in recent years has helped lure companies like Toyota-Mazda, Amazon, Google and Shipt to Alabama. The Alabama Jobs Act, the state's primary industrial recruitment statute, is expiring at the end of the year. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News