National

The numbers show COVID-19 could cripple Alabama’s hospitals

Even in the best-case scenarios, we could run out of ICU beds. In the worst, thousands could be without a bed. Will this crisis cripple our hospitals? Read more here

March 22, 2020

State warns against in-person church services as Alabama COVID-19 cases rise

It’s a sad and unfortunate result of the coronavirus outbreak, but you should not attend in-person church services, for the time being, the Alabama Department of Public Health advises. This guidance is true especially if your church congregation is larger than 25 people or if you’re an older person, the population most vulnerable to adverse … Continued

March 21, 2020

No, grocery stores are not closing next week, governor’s office says

No, grocery stores in Alabama are not closing next week. In a week of rumors surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest social media hoax on Friday — that Gov. Kay Ivey would order closed all Alabama businesses, including grocery stores, next week — sent shoppers around the state cramming into supermarkets on Friday night. Despite … Continued

March 20, 2020

“We must all do better:” Hundreds of Tuscaloosa COVID-19 tests rejected

UPDATE: This story has been updated with new information from DCH Health System. The new information indicates that most of the 528 untested samples were not able to be tested because there was a lack of testable material, not because of an issue with sample storage during transport, which was initially cited by the hospital … Continued

March 20, 2020

Governor: Ban on gatherings of 25 or more does not apply to businesses

Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Public Health said Friday that a public health order issued Thursday is not meant to apply to work-related gatherings of 25 people or more. “In order to keep Alabama going, we must keep Alabama businesses going to the best of our abilities,” Ivey said. “I fully support … Continued

March 20, 2020

As COVID-19 crisis mounts, governors request $150 billion in direct aid to states

Governors are requesting $150 billion from the federal government in direct aid to help their states fight the COVID-19 public health emergency. Since the outbreak began, governors have been leading the nation’s response to the outbreak of coronavirus and its potentially devastating impacts on the nation’s health care system. In a letter to congressional leadership, … Continued

March 20, 2020

Alabama scientists are trying to help find treatments for COVID-19

The Alabama Department of Commerce announced Tuesday that a number of Alabama firms, research institutions and scientists have been mobilized in the international effort to fight the novel coronavirus, which has killed over ten thousand people this year. Huntsville’s Diatherix announced that it has developed a highly sensitive and specific assay, or test, for the … Continued

March 20, 2020

U.S. government report predicts 18 months of COVID-19 outbreak in America

A recent report by the federal government, backed by another in the UK, estimates the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. “will last 18 months or longer and could include multiple waves of illness.” The 100-page unclassified COVID-19 response plan drafted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and obtained by The New York … Continued

March 20, 2020

Sewell, Jones urge Ivey to extend unemployment benefits for workers impacted by COVID-19

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, and Congresswoman Terri Sewell, D-Selma, sent a letter urging Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and her administration to extend unemployment benefits for Alabamians impacted by the spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. “As our state and nation responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by encouraging ‘social distancing,’ many workers in … Continued

March 20, 2020

Shelby co-sponsors the coronavirus economic stabilization act

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama, Senate Majority Whip John Thune and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, all Republicans, released “The Coronavirus Economic Stabilization Act of 2020” as part of the broader Senate economic response package. Sponsors say that the legislation would allow the Treasury Secretary to provide up to $208 billion … Continued

March 20, 2020