June 26, 2020 - Infection Data in Jefferson County By Zip Code
Infection Data in Jefferson County By Zip Code
June 26, 2020
I spent much of yesterday finalizing a guest column for ComebackTown.com that was published today. My article discusses the surprising conclusion, drawn from Jeff. County Health Dept zip code data, that infection rates in downtown Birmingham and North Birmingham are significantly lower than the over-the-mountain suburbs. Important point: the City of Birmingham adopted a mandatory mask ordinance in early May but the suburbs did not follow suit. I argued that the mask ordinance had reduced infections in the City, even noting that most of the street protesters had worn masks.
When I woke up this morning and checked the website database, I was stunned. The tidal wave of new cases which hit the county yesterday had caused the City’s infection rates to drop and the suburban rates to rise …. and the change was enormous. My argument in the column drew even greater force from the new numbers, so I rushed to revise it before the deadline. Shameless plug: https://comebacktown.com/2020/06/26/hoover-and-mountain-brook-not-immune-from-coronavirus/
This illustrates a defining feature of this pandemic. When the contagion starts to take hold, it often spreads very, very fast. After a three-fold increase over three days, Alabama reported 977 new cases today (including probables), down by 165 from yesterday. The 7-day average positivity rate ticked up to 10.93% and there were 11 more deaths, as the State surpassed more than 900 deaths in all.
There were 41 new hospitalizations in the State, continuing the plateau pattern of 40+ daily hospitalizations for a fourth straight day. According to a FEMA memo obtained by ABC News, 82% of Alabama’s hospital beds are full and hospitals in Montgomery, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa are now transferring patients from facility to facility because ICU beds are running out.
During the Vietnam War, military press briefings were held each afternoon for eight years at the Rex Hotel in Saigon. The briefings became known as the 5 O’Clock Follies, courtesy of the legendary A.P. bureau chief Richard Pyle, because the information conveyed there was so absurd. Today’s coronavirus briefing, led by VP Pence, was a flashback to those days. Among other things, Pence took credit for sending “additional personnel” to Alabama and North Carolina, “where we are now seeing declining numbers in both of those states”.
When asked about his boss’s recent maskless rallies in Tulsa and Phoenix, Pence fumbled for a response. Perhaps he will find the words in time for Trump’s July rally in Mobile. Here are the totals:
6/13 - 891
6/14 - 1,041
6/15 - 657
6/16 - 640
6/17 - 400
6/18 - 894
6/19 - 796
6/20 - 547
6/21 - 472
6/22 - 433
6/23 - 643
6/24 - 967
6/25 - 1,142
6/26 - 977
Even though the state number for new cases slightly improved, Jefferson Co.’s number increased from 142 to 149, another new record. Marshall (63), Tuscaloosa (56), Montgomery (54) and Mobile (52) counties all reported more than 50 cases.