December 7, 2020

Pearl Harbor Day

December 7, 2020

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Imperial Japanese warplanes launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, killing 2,335 American soldiers and 68 civilians. The next day, Congress declared war on Japan, followed three days later by a declaration of war against Nazi Germany. When World War II finally ended on September 2, 1945, 291,557 Americans had died in combat, more battlefield deaths than those suffered by the Union and Confederate forces (combined) during the Civil War (Source: Dept of Veterans Affairs). 

Seventy-nine years after that “date which will live in infamy”, Americans are fighting a different kind of enemy, an invisible virus. It is a World War but, instead of ships, tanks and planes, we are armed with masks and vaccines. Unlike previous World Wars, it is being fought largely on our own soil --- one-third of the world’s cases and 21% of the world’s deaths have occurred in the U.S. during the last week.

Perhaps it is fitting then that Pearl Harbor Day could mark the moment when this pandemic will claim the lives of more Americans than the deadliest war in U.S. history. According to worldometer.info, a leading global tracker, as of 6:00 pm central time (with 7 states left to report), 290,396 Americans have died during this pandemic. And, on average, 2,280 Americans continue to die every day, practically one Pearl Harbor attack every single day. 

In Alabama, we begin the week with 2,352 new cases (incl. 478 probables) and 6,532 reported tests, resulting in a 36% positivity rate for the day and 31.5% average positivity rate for the week. The totals for both cases and tests are more than 30% below their 7-day moving averages, reflecting the fact that Monday’s report contains Sunday’s data, making it the lightest reporting day of the week.

Now, brace yourself for the updated hospitalization data:  2,079 patients (105 reporting hospitals), a jump of 163 patients in a single day. The Huntsville Hospital system reported 378 COVID patients, an increase of 76 patients in one week. DCH Health system reported 138 patients, double the number just 9 days ago. And finally, Regional Medical Center (Anniston) announced new visitation restrictions due to the pandemic: “For end-of-life care, two visitors will be permitted to remain in the patient’s room, without leaving or re-entering the building and without substitution”. The totals:

11/24 - 2785

11/25-  2453

11/26 - 2639

11/27 -  917

11/28 - 2119

11/29 - 2236

11/30 - 2295

12/1  -  3376

12/2  -  3928

12/3  -  3531

12/4  -  3840

12/5  -  3390

12/6  - 2288

12/7  - 2335

Jefferson County led all counties with 397 new cases (395 confirmed by PCR tests), and 64 of 67 counties now have positivity rates over 20%; 42 counties exceed 30%; 17 counties exceed 40%; and 5 counties exceed 50%.