Health

A little effort can make a big difference in the fight against COVID-19

Will Ainsworth is Alabama’s lieutenant governor. Every American was a bit disappointed when the White House announced this week that social distancing guidelines will remain in place at least until April 30, and some governors across the nation have mandated that statewide shelter-in-place orders may be enforced until the end of June. Working from home, … Continued

Will Ainsworth

April 1, 2020

Department of Labor closed Birmingham unemployment office as COVID-19 spread

The number of people applying for unemployment in Alabama continues to skyrocket amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but there are fewer people handling those claims this month than last. The Alabama Department of Labor closed an office in Birmingham and let some workers go earlier this month. That staffing shortage, coupled with an onslaught of new … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

April 1, 2020

Three firefighters, police officer in Mobile test positive for COVID-19

Three firefighters and a police officer in Mobile have tested positive for COVID-19, city officials said Tuesday. James Barber, executive director of public safety with the city of Mobile, said during a press conference Tuesday that the four city employees tested positive. The positives come after Mobile-based Synergy Laboratories donated 500 “test kits” and 131 … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 31, 2020

Two hospital employees in Huntsville test positive for COVID-19

A physician and another employee at Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the hospital said Tuesday. “Crestwood Medical Center learned that 2 of our associates (one physician and one employee) have tested positive for COVID-19,” spokesperson Lori Light said in a statement Tuesday. One is … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

Wisconsin students test positive after spring break on Alabama beaches

A number of college students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have tested positive for COVID-19 after spending time on Alabama’s beaches during spring break, according to the university and multiple news outlets. “University Health Services (UHS) and Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) recently became aware of a cluster of COVID-19 cases associated with … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 31, 2020

State health department confirms 13 COVID-19 deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health, after investigations into causes of death, has confirmed 13 COVID-19 deaths in the state. The department reported the deaths Tuesday morning. Three deaths have been confirmed in Chambers County, two in Lee, two in Shelby, one in Jackson, one in Lauderdale, one in Mobile, one in Madison, one in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

Department of Public Health says employee has tested positive for COVID-19

The Alabama Department of Public Health says that an employee at the state’s Bureau of Clinical Laboratories in Montgomery has tested positive for the virus. The BCL is the main lab working on testing for the virus in the state, but ADPH says the individual had no interaction with others on the job and was … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

State ramping up for COVID-19 fight

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, State Health Officer Scott Harris, Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, Public Health Commissioner Lynn Beshear and Alabama National Guard Major General Sheryl Gordon briefed state legislators Monday about how the state intends to address the looming wave of COVID-19 cases as the virus spread across the state of Alabama virtually unchecked. Ivey … Continued

Brandon Moseley and Nicole Jones

March 31, 2020

Federal judge blocks Alabama from prohibiting abortions during outbreak

A federal judge late Monday issued a temporary restraining order, allowing Alabama abortion clinics to continue operating despite a state order that effectively restricted access to abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson’s temporary restraining order will last until April 13 at 5 p.m. “Despite the serious conditions described by defendants and … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 30, 2020

Lee County hospital reports another death, bringing total there to 7

East Alabama Medical Center reported another death Monday from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, bringing the death toll at the Lee County hospital up to seven since Friday. EAMC says that two people from Lee County and five people from Chambers County have died at the hospital after testing positive for the virus. The … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 30, 2020