Health

Sixth Alabama inmate dies after positive COVID-19 test

A sixth incarcerated person in Alabama died Monday after testing positive for COVID-19, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced Monday. Wanda Gaye Dison, 68, who was serving at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka died at a local hospital Monday, according to the department. Dison was hospitalized for advanced, chronic health problems, was tested … Continued

June 30, 2020

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alabama set new record high

Alabama on Monday saw a new record number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19, and while the hospitals are managing well now, that could change if the trends of rising cases and hospitalizations continue. “Please wear masks,” said Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, speaking to APR on Monday. Alabama’s hospitals were … Continued

June 29, 2020

Alabama leaders’ plan to reopen schools really isn’t a plan at all

There is no plan to reopen Alabama’s public schools. That much was clear after state superintendent Eric Mackey’s hour-long press conference on Friday — the one in which he presented the state’s plan to reopen schools. It was, to put it kindly, underwhelming. To put it not so kindly: It was the State Department of … Continued

June 29, 2020

Alabama breaks 7- and 14-day averages for new cases on Saturday

Alabama on Saturday added 888 new COVID-19 cases, and both the seven-day and the 14-day rolling averages for new cases are at the highest points they’ve been since the pandemic began, coming after another week of record-breaking new cases and hospitalizations. On Saturday, the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases was 783, breaking the last … Continued

June 27, 2020

Selma Mayor orders face masks, joining other local leaders in response to COVID-19

Selma Mayor Darrio Melton on Friday signed an order requiring people to wear face masks while in public, with some exceptions, to slow the spread of COVID-19. Melton’s order makes exceptions for those in the outdoors, unless they’re around 10 people or more or cannot maintain six feet of distance from others, and those working … Continued

June 26, 2020

Jefferson County mask order goes into effect Monday amid surge in COVID-19 cases

As new cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 continue to surge in Jefferson County, the county’s health officer on Friday announced an order that will require people to wear masks while in public. Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson, in a press briefing Friday, said the mask order for the public will be effective as … Continued

June 26, 2020

Alabama prison worker dies after testing positive for COVID-19

There have been 29 confirmed COVID-19 cases among staff at Tutwiler, and seven cases among women serving there.

June 26, 2020

Doug Jones urges Alabama small businesses to apply for COVID-19 aid

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, on Friday encouraged Alabama’s small businesses to apply for COVID-19 relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program before the June 30 deadline. “All small businesses in Alabama should reach out to their bank or credit union to check to see if they’re eligible to benefit from PPP loans before the … Continued

June 26, 2020

Alabama COVID-19 hospitalizations at all-time high, new daily cases remain high

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama jumped by 964 on Friday, a sign that days of record-breaking new daily cases may not be coming to an end, and community spread of the virus continues. Alabama’s 964 new cases on Friday was the third-highest daily count since the pandemic began, and came the day … Continued

June 26, 2020

Jones: We are still in the first wave of the coronavirus

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones on Thursday addressed reporters on the worsening coronavirus crisis in the state of Alabama, along with UAB’s Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, an infectious diseases expert who joined Jones on the conference call. “As a nation, we peaked on April 23 at 39,000 cases a day,” Jones said, adding that by the end … Continued

June 26, 2020