COVID

The on-campus semester is in danger at both Alabama and Auburn

Officials at Auburn University and the University of Alabama are issuing warnings to students about the future of in-person classes following upticks in positive tests around the campuses and numerous videos and pictures of packed bars and large crowds of people not wearing face coverings. Just days into the semester, Alabama has already canceled all … Continued

Josh Moon

August 24, 2020

New COVID cases in Alabama increasing faster than 46 other states

Alabama reported more cases of COVID-19 last week than any other week since the pandemic began, and the increase in new cases reported last week compared to the previous week was higher than 46 other states and the District of Columbia. An analysis of data collected by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 25, 2020

Governor expected to update stay-at-home order Tuesday

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is expected to address the status of her stay-at-home order Tuesday morning at a press conference at the state capitol, according to several lawmakers who were on a conference call with the governor Monday and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. The governor’s office says the press conference will be at … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 27, 2020

East Alabama hospital says crisis isn’t over as cases pick up after Easter

East Alabama Medical Center is continuing to urge residents to stay at home as the number of patients it is treating in the hospital for COVID-19 has been rising again after a brief decline before Easter. The hospital in Opelika, Alabama, has been near the epicenter of a major COVID-19 outbreak in Lee, Chambers and … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 24, 2020

Alabama COVID-19 cases surpass 5,000. At least 168 reported deaths

The number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases has surpassed 5,000 in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health says that 5,008 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, as of Monday afternoon. At least 168 people have died after testing positive. Of those, 113 deaths have been found to be primarily caused by COVID-19 after … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 20, 2020

Alabama reaches 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases

Alabama has surpassed 3,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Alabama Department of Public Health says. As of Friday evening at 7 p.m., labs had confirmed 3,008 cases of the virus in the state. At least 80 people are dead after testing positive. At least 58 of those deaths have been verified by epidemiologists as caused … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 10, 2020

Feds seizing needed supplies slowed state’s COVID-19 testing efforts

Add Alabama to the list of states that have had trouble acquiring needed medical supplies from commercial vendors because the federal government intervened and took the supplies. The federal government has been quietly seizing orders of medical supplies, protective gear and testing materials across the country, and Alabama has not been immune. The federal government’s … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 9, 2020

Black people are dying more often from COVID-19 in Alabama

Black people are being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus in Alabama, according to new data released by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The Department of Public Health’s data shows that about 44 percent of the verified COVID-19 deaths in Alabama so far have been among black people, but black people make up only about … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 7, 2020

Gov. Ivey launches state guide to COVID-19 relief efforts

Governor Kay Ivey on Monday announced the launch of altogetheralabama.org, an online resource that will serve as a hub of information for the state’s response to the coronavirus crisis. The site becomes the state’s official guide to COVID-19 relief efforts, to help empower those impacted by the outbreak and those who want to offer support. … Continued

April 6, 2020

Behind the model that projected 5,500 deaths in Alabama — and why it changed

Early last week it said 7,500 would die in Alabama by August. This modeling from the University of Washington’s Institue for Health Metrics and Evaluation has been cited by the White House’s coronavirus task force. This modeling — that last week suggested somewhere between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die — spurred President Donald Trump’s … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 6, 2020