First case of omicron variant in Alabama has been confirmed
A health care worker administers a swab test for COVID-19.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama confirmed its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus Thursday, a development that was expected as the latest mutation spreads in the United States, the state health officer said.
State Health Officer Scott Harris said Alabama officials had presumed the variant was already in Alabama since it had been confirmed in neighboring states and much of the country.
“The No. 1 message remains get vaccinated. That is the single best thing you can do to protect yourself,” Harris said, adding that people who are eligible should also get a booster.
Harris said reports that omicron causes less severe illness are, “encouraging if that is true” but cautioned that scientists are still learning about the new variant.
Alabama in recent days has seen a slight increase in cases and hospitalizations, and health officials say delta for now remains the dominant variant in the state.
“They are beginning to tick up,” Harris said, adding that the rise is primarily caused by unvaccinated people.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has risen over the past two weeks from 303 on Nov. 29 to 542 on Dec. 13, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. However, that is well below the two pandemic peaks when the state was reporting as many as 4,000 new cases per day.
Dr. Don Williamson, the former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association, said the state has seen a slight uptick in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19. The number had dropped under 300 in late November, but on Wednesday there were 378 people with COVID-19 in state hospitals, according to numbers reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
That is a fraction of the hospitalizations that occurred during the previous two peaks, when about 3,000 people were hospitalized.
“It is trending up. I wouldn’t call it a spike yet,” Williamson said. “Everything tells me we are in an upslope of another increase. How high is it going to be? That we don’t know.”
Williamson said a key question is what happens when omicron goes from a “negligible impact to being the dominant variant.”
Williamson said Thanksgiving gatherings, in a population with a low vaccination rate, might have driven some of the current uptick.
“People traveled more. People got together more, and more of the gatherings are indoors, and that is going to drive more spread of the disease in a population where still less than 50% have had two doses,” he said.
Workers at Alabama’s Mercedes plants vote against joining a union
The workers voted 56% against the union, according to tallies released by the National Labor Relations Board, which ran the election.
Taylor Hunnicutt is championing her home state with debut album ‘Alabama Sound’
Alabama offers a diverse symphony of swampy rock, swaggering blues, murky country, and bone-rattling soul. It’s a sound singer-songwriter Taylor Hunnicutt recently reimagined on her debut album, Alabama Sound, which is out now.
UAB building among Alabama’s first to feature ‘bird safe’ glass
Advocates hope the new glass will prevent window collisions, a leading causes of bird mortality.
Researchers look into community health impact of wood pellet production in rural Mississippi
Brown University and Tougaloo College students are testing for potential air and noise pollution near the Drax wood pellet plant in Gloster, Mississippi.
Alabama coal company sued for a home explosion is delinquent on dozens of penalties
Crimson Oak Grove Resources has been cited for 204 safety violations since the March 8 blast, many involving “significant and substantial” safety violations.
The United Auto Workers faces a key test in the South with upcoming vote at Alabama Mercedes plant
The United Auto Workers is aiming for a key victory at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama. More than 5,000 workers at the facility in Vance and nearby battery plant will vote this week on whether to join the UAW.
