COVID-19

Alabama may need 2,500 more ventilators. It’s having to compete to get them

Alabama may need 2,000 more ventilators than it has, and it’s being forced to compete with other states to get them on the private market. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday that the Alabama Department of Public Health is attempting to source its own ventilators as a number of hospitals in the state … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 3, 2020

Governor: More than 200 health care workers infected with COVID-19

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday at a press conference that 200 health care workers in the state have contracted COVID-19. The governor reported that number while announcing a new statewide stay-at-home order that will go into effect on Saturday, April 4, at 5 p.m. It will remain in effect until April 30. “Those people … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 3, 2020

Gov. Kay Ivey orders Alabama to stay at home as cases near 1,500

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is issuing a stay-at-home order, reversing course after two weeks of saying the state didn’t need one. “I can’t say this any more clearly,” Ivey said. “COVID-19 is an imminent threat to our way of life. And you need to understand that we have passed urging people to stay at home. … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 3, 2020

Alabama nursing homes struggle to get COVID-19 tests, results

There are more than 1,000 outstanding COVID-19 tests among Alabama nursing home residents and staff, and many homes are having difficulty getting the tests, according to the Alabama Nursing Home Association. John Matson, communications director for the Alabama Nursing Home Association, told APR on Friday that the association is asking the Center for Disease Control … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

April 3, 2020

DOJ makes $14 million available to public safety agencies to respond to COVID-19

Thursday, U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town announced that the Department of Justice is making $850 million available to help public safety agencies respond to the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19, which has already killed over 6,000 Americans, including 32 Alabamians. The Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program was authorized in the recent stimulus legislation … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 3, 2020

Opinion

Facing each day, finding hope

People text me news tips all the time. Most of them are unfounded rumors. I’m sure my other colleagues at Alabama Political Reporter get their share. We should never simply pass on a rumor or, as Donald Trump says, “fake” news. And the vast majority of us in journalism understand our responsibility in this. But … Continued

Joey Kennedy

April 3, 2020

Report: 92 percent of small employers negatively impacted by coronavirus

Thursday, the National Federation of Independent Businesses said that 92 percent of small employers surveyed report that they have been negatively impacted by the forced economic shutdown to fight the spread of the coronavirus. The NFIB Research Center’s latest survey on the current impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on small business shows continued deterioration of … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 3, 2020

Alabama institutions of higher learning respond to COVID-19 pandemic

Thursday, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education reported that throughout Alabama higher education is responding to the call for help during the Coronavirus pandemic. The support has been widespread from food supplies to equipment needs. “I am heartened by the generosity of college and university staff and students in supporting their community, hospitals and healthcare … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 3, 2020

Fifty major American companies join effort to fight the coronavirus

Wednesday, the White House announced that fifty major American firms have answered the White House’s call to join the national war on the coronavirus. “The private sector is responding to President Trump’s call to step up and help combat the coronavirus,” the White House said Tuesday. Many of the companies are shifting their focus and … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 3, 2020

ADPH investigating cases in Chambers as county emerges as state’s worst hotspot

The Alabama Department of Public Health is investigating and performing contact-tracing in Chambers County as the number of COVID-19 cases in the county made another jump Thursday. The number of positive confirmed cases in the county has nearly doubled in the past two days, rising from 36 on March 31 to 66 on April 2. … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 2, 2020