Alabama COVID-19 Hospitalizations Hit Record High
Alabama’s coronavirus numbers have hit a new high.
The Alabama Department of Public Health reports 647 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 Wednesday, the most since the pandemic began. There were also 849 new cases, the highest in a single day. That spike concerns University of Alabama at Birmingham healthcare epidemiologist Dr. Rachael Lee. She spoke with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What’s behind the increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations:
If you look at the timing, it looks like this may be related to Memorial Day. So by Memorial Day we were all completely opened up and we had a lot of fatigue in terms of being under quarantine. And so once the state opened up and loosened a lot the restrictions, we got together, had vacations, restaurants have opened up, bars have opened up. Because of that close connection with other people, being within six feet and potentially not wearing masks … that may be driving our numbers and our cases.
Hospital capacity limited:
As a state we still do have some capacity. But if you think about where the issues are, so for instance, in Montgomery with their capacity, it’s very difficult to take care of those large number of patients. One of the things that we would be concerned about would be your ventilators … At UAB we have capacity to take care of more patients with COVID-19, but that also requires coordination. We’d need to transfer patients from other areas to be able to care for them. At the current rate that we’re seeing an increase in number of cases, we will not have enough ventilators to care for the people that need ventilators. We will not have enough hospitalized beds, and that can lead to an increase in mortality.
Why the hospitalization rate is a reliable indicator:
The hospitalization rate allows us to realize that it’s more than just an increase in our testing capacity. So as we’ve seen an increase in the number of cases, I’ve heard pretty consistently, ‘Well, we’re also doing more tests and maybe that’s why we’re identifying more people.’ But if you are identifying more people, then potentially the hospitalization numbers shouldn’t really go up. But as we’ve seen the hospitalizations are consistently going up and that’s where we’re concerned that we can’t take care of these patients in the way that we would want to.
Tributes, not politics, play center stage as Trump hosts the Kennedy Center Honors
President Trump said he was closely involved with picking the honorees, and on Sunday he became the first president to host the Kennedy Center awards ceremony.
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
Both sides accused the other of breaking a ceasefire that halted fighting earlier this year. Longstanding border disputes erupted into five days of combat in July that killed dozens.
Rafael Ithier, a legend of salsa music, dies at 99
The pianist, composer and arranger spent more than six decades turning El Gran Combo into one of the premier salsa institutions of Latin America and beyond.
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says
Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.
Defense Department is reviewing boat strike video for possible release, Hegseth says
In a speech on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strikes, saying: "President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests."
Bama, Miami in, Notre Dame out and Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings
Nobody paying attention for the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana – yes, Indiana – leading the way into this year's College Football Playoff.
