February 27, 2021
Every Saturday marks the end of a work week because today’s data were collected on Friday. There were 834 cases (incl. 27 probables) and 5,303 tests, resulting in a 15.7% positivity rate for the day and 19.2% for the week. Last week at this time, we averaged 875 new cases per day; today, that average has risen to 957 (9.4% increase). However, that increase is largely a byproduct of more tests, which rose 14.5% over the same period.
Confirmed hospitalizations dropped to 622 Covid patients in 99 reporting hospitals, or 6.28 per hospital, the lowest level since June 14. There were 61 more reported deaths, taking the overall total to 9,930. Early next week, we should see the State top 10,000 deaths, becoming the 16th state in the country to reach that level and the one with the lowest population to do so. Alabama ranks 10th in per capita deaths since the pandemic began.
By the end of tomorrow, the U.S. should cross important milestones in the vaccination campaign - 100 million doses administered and 25 million people (7.1% of the population) fully vaccinated. In Alabama, our totals currently stand at 869,000 doses administered, 12.8% of the population who have received one dose, and 6.1% who are fully vaccinated.
Early in the pandemic, the CDC created a list of 12 medical conditions that placed people at increased risk of hospitalization and death, including cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart disease, compromised immune system after organ transplant, diabetes, sickle cell disease, Down syndrome, pregnancy, smoking, severe obesity and obesity. The list was never intended to be used for vaccine prioritization. But in the absence of other guidance, this list assumed outsize importance when the CDC recommended that individuals with such conditions, regardless of age, be grouped in Phase 1c.
When Alabama expands its distribution program, which will happen soon, this list of medical conditions will gather more attention. Some conditions, like cancer, kidney disease and diabetes, affect relatively small segments of the population. Other conditions, like smoking and obesity, affect much larger populations (e.g. adult obesity rate in Alabama is 36.2%) and will take much longer to process. Of course, there is overlap because some have multiple conditions.
Across the country, there is wide variation over how to prioritize these 12 medical conditions. Some states stick to the CDC’s list exactly, but most do not. For example, only 16 states (including Alabama) prioritize smoking, while 29 states prioritize obesity. The only condition not presently included in Alabama’s priority distribution plan is Down syndrome.
Like Alabama, most states are not yet vaccinating individuals with high-risk medical conditions. As of February 15, just 17 states had opened up vaccine eligibility in part or in full to this group, while 34 had not, including Alabama whose decision to expand is just around the corner. The totals:
2/12 - 1097
2/13 - 1189
2/16 - 883
2/17 - 679
2/18 - 1198
2/19 - 847
2/20 - 774
2/21 - 857
2/22 - 677
2/23 - 1453
2/24 - 1247
2/25 - 890
2/26 - 739
2/27 - 834