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.
United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate
The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution
An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.
Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general
After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.
Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth
The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.
Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes
Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.
In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence
As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.
