Birmingham Hospital Leaders: COVID Surge ‘Heartbreaking … And Largely Preventable’
Birmingham’s hospital leaders are raising the alarm about the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
“We’re feeling the surge and it’s real,” said Dr. Tim Bode, chief medical officer with Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Bode joined executives from seven local hospitals at a press conference Wednesday. He said St. Vincents is treating close to 100 patients for COVID-19, up 700% in the past three weeks.
Officials with Grandview Medical Center said they have seen a 500% increase in COVID patient volume during the past month.
Numbers reflect an “unprecedented” surge in hospitalizations statewide, which topped more than 1,700 Wednesday afternoon, a 750% increase since early July.
Alabama Department of Public Health
Graph shows statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations since March, 2020.
“The slope of the line, the ramp up of the infections, has just been incredible as compared to last time,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ennis, chief medical officer with Brookwood Baptist Health.
Ennis said Brookwood is diverting resources and space to treat the influx of COVID patients. She said hospitals are already short staffed, with medical providers tired and stressed.
Hospital leaders urged residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. They said most people hospitalized with the virus are unvaccinated and many are under the age of 60.
“This is absolutely heartbreaking what we’re seeing,” said Dr. Jeremy Rogers, director of clinical services at Grandview Medical Center. “It’s tragic. And unfortunately, it’s largely preventable.”
When Christmas is a little too bright … look to Krampus
If Santa Claus is the good cop of Christmas, then Krampus is the bad one: a creature from European folklore who scares children into behaving themselves, complete with goat horns and gnashing teeth.
Syria marks a year since Assad fled, but struggles to heal
Syria is struggling to heal a year after the Assad dynasty's repressive 50-year reign came to an end following 14 years of civil war that left the country battered and divided.
Former Trump attorney Alina Habba resigns as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey
Habba's decision comes as the Justice Department has lost a string of court cases ruling that U.S. attorneys have not been appointed legally, including in Nevada, California and Virginia.
Trump administration announcing $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers
Trump administration announcing $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers
Maureen Corrigan’s 10 favorite books of 2025 — with plenty for nonfiction lovers
Fresh Air's book critic says her picks tilt a bit to nonfiction, but the novels that made the cut redress the imbalance by their sweep and intensity. Karen Russell's The Antidote was her favorite.
FBI agents sue after being fired for kneeling during racial justice protest
The FBI agents kneeled during a protest in 2020 not to reflect a left-wing political view, but to de-escalate a volatile situation, they say in court papers. The FBI fired them in September.
