The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Southern Research of Birmingham will be part of an international program that will try to identify existing drugs that may be effective in treating people exposed to COVID-19. The effort, coordinated by Scripps Research of La Jolla, California, involves ReFRAME, a large collection of drugs developed for other diseases and known to be safe for humans, UAB said today. Read more.
An Alabama National Guard team was disinfecting at the Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home this morning as part of a mission to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus at nursing homes around the state. The team, part of a special Guard task force, arrived in a white bus at the Pell City-based facility, one of four state veterans homes in Alabama. The Howard facility has 246 residents and 346 employees. Read more.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama had risen to 6,539 late Monday night and deaths to 228. Overall, 888 people have been hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis since the first case was reported March 13, according to Alabama Department of Public Health data. Read more.
If Dr. Frank Franklin had the opportunity to tell Gov. Kay Ivey what she should do about loosening restrictions on businesses and other public places, his advice would be simple: Don’t, at least not quite yet. The retired epidemiologist and pediatrician, now a professor emeritus of public health at UAB, is not convinced that the spread of the COVID-19 virus is under control in Alabama or neighboring states — three of which are already relaxing restrictions on reopening businesses and public spaces — and doesn’t want to see the progress made so far reversed. Instead, Franklin is hoping that Ivey will announce on Tuesday that the state will stay the course for now but revisit the situation on a weekly basis, keeping transparency in the process at the forefront. Read more.
UPDATED — As Gov. Kay Ivey eases her COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, stores, beaches and medical procedures, the question that remains for some is - is it time to reopen Alabama?
Ivey, who announced a “Safer At Home” strategy that will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, has had advice from those who are primarily concerned about health outcomes of the coronavirus and those who consider economics – the loss of jobs, the shuttering of businesses – just as important, if not more.
Although the team has reached the decision to begin reopening – while leaving some businesses, including restaurants and athletic facilities – not all in the state agree that it's time to reopen. Read more.
Should Gov. Ivey Loosen COVID-19 Restrictions? Not Yet, Retired UAB Public Health Professor Says
LOCATION UPDATED — UAB will provide testing for COVID-19 in two community locations this week, offering the tests for people who cannot or don’t want to go to its downtown testing site, officials said today. A mobile testing unit will go to Rock City at Central Park in the western area of Birmingham on Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. and to Cathedral of the Cross in Center Point on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. They will see people who have made appointments by calling 205-975-CV19 (2819). Participants must drive up to the mobile facility this week, but walk-up appointments are expected to start as early as next week. Read more.
The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee is expected to debate and vote on the 2021 General Fund budget on Tuesday. Legislative leaders late last week said their session, on pause since mid-March because of the coronavirus, would resume May 4. But Senate budget committee chairman Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, said that lawmakers need to set an example for the rest of the state. Read more.
The double whammy of pandemic and job loss has left Birmingham-area food banks scrambling to provide sustenance to the needy. Some food banks have closed, especially in rural counties. Others have extended the time between food giveaways. Compounding a drop in donated food is a lack of volunteers to help pack and deliver the food. This comes at a time when the need for food is increasing. The Salvation Army has reported four times as many people seeing food assistance. State officials also have seen a rapid increase in the number of applicants seeking food benefits. The Greater Birmingham Ministries usually gives three brown bags of groceries to about 60 families each week. Last week more than a hundred showed up seeking food. “We had to turn people away,” said Sarah Price, direct services coordinator at the ministries. “We referred them to other charities.” Read more.
Donations to the Community Food Bank can be made at www.feedingal.org, or checks cab be sent to 107 Walter Davis Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209. Monetary and food donations can be made to the Greater Birmingham Ministries at www.gbm.org. The Salvation Army donations can be made at BirminghamSalvationArmy.org or by mail to the Salvation Army, PO
Alabama had 6,467 confirmed cases of COVID-19 today. Six more people were reported to have died from the disease Sunday, bringing the total to 219. Overall, 861 people have been hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis since the first case was reported March 13, more than a third of whom have been treated in ICUs, according to Alabama Department of Public Health data. Read more.
