June 13, 2020 - A New Normal
A New Normal
June 13, 2020
Friends, we seem to have settled into a new normal. For the third consecutive day, Alabama reported more than 800 new COVID cases - a record 891 to be exact, including “probables”. New daily hospitalizations were almost level again - 39 today, 37 yesterday and 36 on Thursday. Total current hospitalizations reached a record 647, but about the same as yesterday (646) and Thursday (648). The 7-day average positivity rate climbed for the sixth consecutive day to 9.49%.
Once again, the new cases emerged all over the state. Although Montgomery (101), Tuscaloosa (83); and Jefferson (71) had the most cases, none established individual records nor did Mobile. On the other hand, there were 27 counties that saw double digit increases in cases and 11 counties established new highs. This broad community spread throughout the state suggests there is no correlation, so far, between recent street protests in Birmingham/Huntsville and the spread of COVID-19.
An examination of COVID data in Minnesota and Washington, D.C. even suggests a negative correlation between the protests and the spread of the virus. In Minneapolis and Washington, those protests began on May 26 and May 29, respectively. Incredibly, the 7-day average of new cases in Minnesota has declined from 684 per day (on May 27) to 492 per day (7 days ago) to 402 per day yesterday (only 377 cases reported today). That is a 40% decline. Similarly, in the District of Columbia, the 7-day average has declined from 107 per day (on May 30) to 94 per day (7 days ago) to 65 per day yesterday (only 55 cases reported today). That is a 39% decline.
In contrast, the Sun Belt seems to be fighting an uphill battle. Today, there were seven states reporting more than 1,000 cases, led by Florida, with a record-setting 2,625 cases. The other states include Texas, California, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana. Here are the 14-day totals in Alabama:
5/31 - 593
6/1 - 294
6/2 - 136
6/3 - 85
6/4 - 221
6/5 - 640
6/6 - 458
6/7 - 457
6/8 - 425
6/9 - 497
6/10 - 567
6/11 - 856
6/12 - 865
6/13 - 891