Alabama COVID-19 hospitalizations at low for pandemic
Fewer people are being treated for COVID-19 in Alabama hospitals than at any time since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, but experts say the rise of a new version of the coronavirus combined with fewer safety precautions might mean the decline is only temporary. Just 90 people statewide were hospitalized with the coronavirus on Friday, which was one fewer than the tally at the very start of the pandemic, statistics showed. It was far less than the highs of roughly 3,000 patients who were being treated at once when the outbreak was at its worst. Dr. Michael Saag, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the statewide trend matches what he is seeing at the hospital there. While the rise of a new omicron variant called BA-2 could cause more hospitalizations, he said, it could be that so many already have been infected in the state that the new version won’t make much of a difference. “Time will tell,” he said. The head of the Alabama Hospital Association, Dr. Donald Williamson, said he expects to see an increase in COVID-19 because of the new variant and the fact that so few people are wearing face masks and taking other precautions, but it’s impossible to determine how large the hike might be. More than 19,200 people have died of COVID-19 in Alabama, the nation’s third-highest death rate at nearly 395 fatalities for every 100,000 residents, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. While the rolling average number of daily new cases increased by 33% over the last two weeks, the state released a new batch of older test results that may have affected the statistics. While it’s reasonable to relax mask requirements given the overall improvement, Saag said, people at higher risk for illness likely will continue to wear them. “For the rest of the population, we can begin to get back to some semblance of ‘normal,’ with the caveat that public health officials will continue to monitor the case load,” he said in an email. “Should a new spike in cases, and especially hospitalizations, occur, we should reinstate masking recommendations.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Statewide moment of silence to remember lives lost to virus
Alabama hospital officials planned a statewide moment of silence to remember those who have died with COVID-19. The Alabama Hospital Association helped organize the Tuesday vigil to remember the more than 12,000 Alabamians who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic and support those battling the virus, Al.com reported. The event was at noon on Sept. 7. Organizers encouraged all Alabamians to participate wherever they are that day. Hospital staff and physicians from across the state were asked to take part. “The Delta variant is causing unprecedented devastation and grief in Alabama,” Alabama Hospital Association President Donald Williamson said. “We had hoped that we’d be in a better place this fall, but our hospitals are full, and families across the state continue to deal with tremendous loss.” “Our dedicated health care workers are under incredible physical and emotional strain, yet still are giving all they have to care for their patients,” he added. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama suffers ‘self-inflicted wound’ of worsening COVID-19
Alabama is suffering a “self-inflicted wound” from COVID-19, with hospitals again filling up as the state trails the nation in vaccinations and pandemic precautions like face masks and social distancing are all but forgotten, a health leader said Tuesday. Only 166 people were hospitalized statewide a month ago with COVID-19 after thousands were vaccinated and before a new variant took hold. But that low point has been followed by a rapid rise, and more than 550 people were being treated for the virus now, statistics showed. Hospitals are far from the critical point they reached in January when some 3,000 people were being treated at one time, but the fast-spreading Delta variant threatens to worsen the situation barring a rapid increase in vaccinations, said Dr. Donald Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association. “There’s just a sense of frustration,” said Williamson, who used to head the Alabama Department of Public Health. “The fact that cases are rising is a self-inflicted injury.” Statistics show that only 50 people would currently be hospitalized if everyone who is eligible for a shot had gotten one, Williamson said, and chances are their illnesses wouldn’t be as severe. “This is the plague of our generation, and certainly of our lifetime. And now it could be so easily averted, but we’re failing to do that,” he said. Only 38% of the state’s population has gotten at least one vaccine dose, and just 31% is fully vaccinated, state statistics showed, yet the daily pace of vaccinations has slowed to roughly the same amount that were being given months ago when doses were scarce. Relatively few people still take precautions in public, and businesses full of people are a common sight. Without a rapid turnaround in vaccinations, Williamson said, health officials worry that cases will continue increasing as highly contagious virus variants spread through the population at stores, churches, restaurants, bars, sports contests, and other public events. Rather than reimposing restrictions like mandatory mask-wearing, capacity limits for businesses, or shutdowns, Gov. Kay Ivey has said the only thing she supports is encouraging people to use their “common sense,” show personal responsibility and get shots. To encourage vaccinations, the city of Gadsden said it would offer $100 to residents who received the first dose Tuesday or later and are fully vaccinated by Oct. 15. Two drawings for $5,000 will be held for every 500 residents who qualify. The three-campus University of Alabama system, with more than 70,000 students total, said anyone not fully vaccinated would be expected to wear a face mask and practice social distancing inside campus buildings this fall. Vaccines won’t be required in accordance with state law, however. “Data continue to show that vaccinated individuals remain protected from COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is the best way to sustain continued on-campus operations,” said Dr. Selwyn Vickers, dean of the medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases in Alabama has increased by 694, a spike of 573%. There were about 197 new cases per 100,000 people during the period, which ranked 11th nationally, with the largest increases along the coast in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Some 11,460 people have died of COVID-19 in Alabama, giving the state the 17th highest death rate nationally. Alabama has reported more than 560,000 positive tests, and the percentage of tests coming back positive is on the rise. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Hospital official: Coronavirus out of control in Alabama
The new coronavirus is spreading so quickly through Alabama that COVID-19 is rampant and there’s little hope of real improvement until weeks after the holidays, despite the hope presented by new vaccines, health officials said Wednesday. “It’s out of control,” said Dr. Donald Williamson, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association and former director of the state health agency. The rolling daily average of new cases over the last two weeks has increased by 684, a jump of about 50%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, and one in every 342 people in Alabama tested positive in the past week. More than 3,300 people have died since the coronavirus pandemic began, state statistics show. While Gov. Kay Ivey has extended an order requiring face coverings in public through Dec. 11, she also lifted occupancy limits to help businesses. Bars, restaurants, stores, and churches are again filling up in populated metro areas, and face masks are rarely seen in some rural locales. With Thanksgiving next week and the Christmas season on its heels, officials fear large gatherings of families and friends will spread the virus even more and result in a wave of illness that won’t diminish until late January at the earliest, even though a relatively small number of people could begin receiving vaccines in December. Speaking during a virtual news conference with Sen. Doug Jones, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said testing has decreased since the summer, helping lead to an increase in the percentage of tests that are coming back positive. “And we’re reflecting this in the number of cases that we’re seeing and the number of hospitalizations and the number of people who die,” she said. While only 14% of the intensive care beds in state hospitals are empty and a few people are beginning to show up with the flu, fewer COVID-19 patients are requiring ICU space because of improvements in treatments, Williamson said. Of roughly 1,400 intensive care beds that were in use statewide Tuesday, only 368 were filled by COVID-19 patients. Still, some hospitals already are hiring traveling workers from out-of-state to help care for patients, he said, and a few are attempting to hire workers from other countries to fill gaps caused by high caseloads and workers who’ve gotten sick themselves from the virus or are fatigued after months of fighting the pandemic. “Every hospital I talk to, their biggest problem is staffing,” said Williamson. The head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, Dr. Scott Harris, told a news conference in Montgomery on Tuesday that hospitals were currently “within capabilities,” but he urged people to be particularly careful during the holidays. “My family has decided not to have a big in-person Thanksgiving this year as much as we’d all like to see each other,” said Harris. Small, outdoor gatherings are best, he said, and anyone not eating or drinking should wear a mask. COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms in most people, and at least a third of the people with the virus aren’t aware they have it and can spread it, Harris said. The illness is most dangerous for the elderly and people with other health problems. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
After improvement, virus cases worsening in Alabama
The coronavirus pandemic appears to be worsening again in Alabama after weeks of improvement as residents grow weary of preventive measures that slowed the spread of the disease after a summertime peak, health officials said. Donald Williamson, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said he has noticed fewer people wearing masks and trying to stay away from each other in public over the last couple weeks, and such changes seem to be showing up in troublesome statistics. “I think it’s clear that we all have COVID fatigue,” Williamson said in an interview Tuesday. Dr. Ellen Eaton, a disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, tweeted that average daily hospitalizations, deaths, the transmission rate of the virus and positive tests all were rising “just as flu season arrives.” More than 2,800 people have died from COVID-19 in the state, which ranks 20th highest in the nation for fatalities on a per-person basis, and about 174,000 have tested positive, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The virus has been spreading at a quickened pace since early October, figures show, and around 840 people have been hospitalized a day over the past week, compared to around 750 a day in late September. The state’s situation is much better than in the summer, when hospital intensive care beds were nearly full and the virus was spreading out of control, Williamson said. The state’s virus caseload fell and stabilized after Gov. Kay Ivey and health officials imposed a statewide mask order that will extend at least into November. It could take about four weeks to determine whether Alabama is headed toward a new, elevated plateau or another uncontrolled spike that could fill up hospital beds once again, Williamson said, but neither are good as flu season gets closer and cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in a majority of states. “Things are not going well,” he said. While the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms for most people, it can be deadly for the elderly and people with other health problems. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
