August 11, 2020 - Oneonta's Coach Phillips
Oneonta's Coach Phillips
August 11, 2020
The data from ADPH today reinforces my cautious optimism that Alabama is on the right trajectory.
The headline number, new cases, is a very impressive 831 (incl. 245 probables). That is the lowest raw number since June 28. But, as I’ve said repeatedly, it’s not just about cases alone; it’s about the relationship of cases to testing. Based on that metric, I am encouraged. Although there were only 7,086 tests, certainly a low number, I think that is good enough, considering the robust testing yesterday and late last week. The 7-day average for tests barely budged (9,224) and the 6-day average remains around 10,000. Importantly, the 7-day positivity rate is still just above 15%.
On a somber note, there were 50 more deaths reported today, which is our second highest on record. Indeed, only four states had more deaths today - FL and GA, both of which set new individual death records of 276 and 122, respectively, as well as CA (155) and TX (153). Our 7-day average for deaths (25) is close to a new individual record (which is 27).
So, here we are, on the verge of a new school year, and we seem to finally be making fragile progress. What does the future hold? Like many of you, I am afraid that our progress could be reversed by in-person instruction at both K-12 and higher education institutions, and yet, I also recognize the cost of doing otherwise.
This was driven home to me when I read about the Oneonta HS football team and marching band. After five players tested positive, Coach Phil Phillips placed both the team and band in quarantine, perhaps jeopardizing the season. Asked by a reporter for comment, he said, “I looked my wife in the eyes Monday night before I went to bed and I said, ‘You know I sure hope we didn’t kill anybody’s grandmother today by having a football practice.” Here are the 14-day totals:
7/28 - 1,251
7/29 - 1,416
7/30 - 1,980
7/31 - 1,961
8/1 - 1,646
8/2 - 2,095
8/3 - 1,217
8/4 - 1,041
8/5 - 952
8/6 - 1,938
8/7 - 1,709
8/8 - 1,872
8/9 - 1,161
8/10 - 1,686
8/11 - 831
Fifty-two of Alabama’s 67 counties saw their weekly positivity rates decline. Only Jefferson County (108) had more than 100 cases.