Alabama Department of Public Health

News / Health / State

Huntsville man awaits coronavirus results, says doctor struggled to find lab to test

A Huntsville man who just returned from Europe said a doctor spent an hour on the phone trying to find a lab in Alabama to test him for coronavirus, and eventually decided to send his sample to a commercial lab. The 39-year-old man, who asked not to be named, told APR on Thursday his family … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 13, 2020

Scott Harris updates House Health Committee on coronavirus crisis

Wednesday, House Health Committee Chairman Paul Lee (R-Dothan) asked Alabama Public Health Officer Scott Harris and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Vice President for Governmental Affairs Ted Hosp to provide an update on the coronavirus theat. Harris said as you know, we have not had a lot of testing. “I have no doubt,” we … Continued

Brandon Moseley

March 13, 2020

No Alabama hospitals can independently test for coronavirus

No hospital in Alabama on Tuesday could independently test for coronavirus, said the head of the Alabama Hospital Association. The state’s own public health lab in Montgomery began testing for COVID-19 on March 5, and as of Tuesday, less than 20 people in Alabama have been tested since the virus was detected in late 2019, … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 11, 2020

UAB preparing for possibility of coronavirus outbreak, vaccine at least a year away

A vaccine for coronavirus is making its way through the testing process, but will likely take at least a year before it’s ready for the market, said a University of Alabama at Birmingham physician on Friday. Dr. Molly Fleece, an infectious disease expert at the UAB, told reporters at a press conference Friday that there … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 6, 2020

Alabama’s State Public Health lab ready to test for coronavirus

It was unclear for a time Thursday whether Alabama’s public health lab in Montgomery could test for coronavirus or not. Conflicting statements Thursday from an Alabama Department of Public Health physician and a tweet an hour later from the department’s official Twitter account made it uncertain whether the state’s lab can or cannot test for … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

March 6, 2020

Senate Health Committee updated on coronavirus crisis

Wednesday, Alabama Public Health Officer Scott Harris told the Alabama Senate Health Committee, “We have no cases in Alabama,” referring to the new strain of the coronavirus – COVID-19. The Chairman of the Senate Health Committee is Senator Jim McClendon (R-Springville). McClendon asked Dr. Harris to update the Committee on the threat from the coronavirus. … Continued

Brandon Moseley

March 5, 2020

Roby: Congress will consider a funding bill to combat coronavirus this week

The coronavirus is increasingly in the news as the death toll climbs and now includes Americans. Congresswoman Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, said that Congress will be dealing with a coronavirus funding bill as early as this week. “Congress is expected to take up a bill to provide funding to combat the Coronavirus this week,” Rep. Roby … Continued

Brandon Moseley

March 3, 2020

Inmate at Ventress prison tests positive for Tuberculosis

An inmate at the Ventress Correctional Facility in Clayton has tested positive for Tuberculosis, prompting the Alabama Department of Corrections to stop transfers of inmates into and out of the prison and test the remaining prison population and staff. APR confirmed on Friday that ADOC was responding to the positive test for TB at the … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

February 14, 2020

Health Committee gives favorable report to bill to mandate vaccination reporting

Wednesday, the Senate Health Committee gave a favorable report to a bill that would require that all medical providers share their vaccination records with the State of Alabama. Senate Bill 56 is sponsored by State Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) Sen. Melson said that SB56 would require medical providers to report vaccinations in the registry. “This … Continued

Brandon Moseley

February 13, 2020

Opinion

Does it take more than money to stay afloat?

“Houston, we have a problem” was a phrase coined on April 14, 1970 by John Swigert, Jr. and James Lowell on U.S.’s Apollo 13 moon flight. The Houston phrase or similar coinage has been used repeatedly by politicians, hospitals and anyone associated with the hospital industry to draw attention to the plight of rural hospitals. There are … Continued

Tim Wadsworth

December 11, 2019