June 9, 2021
ADPH now updates its data dashboard only 3 times each week - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There were 739 new cases reported on Monday (which covers 3 days); 216 more cases on Tuesday; and 305 cases today. Over the last week, Alabama’s daily case count (321 per day) rose 28% compared to the prior week, which is the 5th fastest weekly rise in the nation. One week ago, we were averaging just 252 cases per day. Indeed, you have to go back to the end of April to find the 7-day moving average higher than it was this week.
In addition, the Covid-related deaths of 29 more Alabamians were reported today, which makes 82 deaths for the week. Our death toll for the entire pandemic has risen to 11,249, the 8th highest per capita death rate in the nation.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that our hospitalization rate seems unaffected by the rising case count ... so far. Granted, hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, but our rate is just 2.02 per reporting hospital (212 patients in 105 reporting hospitals), its lowest level since April 1, 2020.
So, that is the backdrop as we confront the emergence of a deadly new variant that has devastated India and is washing over the U.K. - B.1.617.2. The “Delta variant”, as it is known, is more transmissible than the U.K variant (B.1.1.7) and now represents 6% of all cases in the U.S. While vaccines appear to be highly effective against the Delta variant, experts fear that unvaccinated individuals - such as adolescents - are at risk. And this dangerous variant is linked to a whole host of new symptoms, like hearing loss, severe gastric issues, and gangrene caused by blood clots (requiring amputations in some cases). This disturbing report follows Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warning Tuesday that the Delta mutation could become the most dominant strain in certain of the most unvaccinated areas of the US.
Of course, parts of Alabama are among the most unvaccinated areas of the U.S. According to the CDC, only 13% of the residents of Winston County are fully vaccinated. In Blount County, 16% are vaccinated and in DeKalb, Chilton and Bibb counties, the number is 18%. Even in our most vaccinated areas of the State - like Jefferson and Madison counties - barely over one-third of residents are fully vaccinated. Yet, an average of just 2,100 doses per day were administered this week in Alabama, a 44% decrease over last week.
Again, it bears repeating: if you and your family have been vaccinated, you have little to worry about with the Delta variant. What’s more, vaccines should be available in the fall for U.S. children as young as 6 months, according to Pfizer and Moderna. Both drugmakers are testing their vaccines in children under 12 years, and are expected to have results in hand for children aged 5 through 11 by September. Pfizer will begin testing the vaccine in infants as young as 6 months in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, be aware that certain underlying medical conditions exacerbate the risk for severe COVID-19, according to a new study. The strongest risk factors for Covid-19 hospitalization among children include chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes, obesity, congenital heart disease and asthma. The totals:
5/25 - 306
5/26 - 269
5/27 - 346
5/28 - 228
6/1 - 640
6/2 - 553
6/3 - 430
6/4 - 557
6/7 - 739
6/8 - 216
6/9 - 305