March 27, 2021
Over the last 7 days in the U.S., new daily cases rose 8.2% but the number of reported tests fell 32.8%. During the same period, Alabama’s new daily cases fell 20.7% but the number of tests fell 43.7%, resulting in a positivity rate that remains above 12% for the week. With 492 more cases today (incl. 128 probables) and 442 cases yesterday, our daily average for the week is 426 per day.
In a way, the improved environment for Covid reminds me of our status last April, when Gov. Ivey proudly declared that “Alabama is not New York, not California'' to justify her decision not to impose statewide restrictions. New Jersey’s per capita rate of new cases is now 5 times the current rate in Alabama. Michigan, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Iowa have seen 30%+ increases week-to-week, while Alabama’s 21% decline in new cases is the largest week-to-week drop in the nation.
Two things remind me of last April. Alabama did not test enough last spring or at any time in the last 12 months, and that hasn’t changed. Although our State ranks 44th in new cases per capita over the last week, it also ranks 46th in the number of tests per capita. If you don’t test, you don’t know how many cases you really have. Second, just like last spring, overconfidence is returning just in time for Spring Break. By late June last year, after a no-holds-barred Memorial Day weekend, Alabama’s accelerated pace of new infections was first in the nation - a tragic reminder that arrogance is a roadblock on the highway of wisdom.
On the vaccine front, the United States has averaged 2.62 million doses of vaccine per day in the last week, a 7% increase over the week before. In Alabama, the average is 26.4k doses per day, a 4% increase over the week before. Alabama has administered at least one dose to 1,072,623 people, covering 28.1% of the eligible population, and 21.9% of the State’s entire population (national average = 27.6%). At least 576,529 people have been fully vaccinated, which is 11.8% of the State’s entire population (national average = 14.2%).
Finally, UAB deserves our gratitude and praise for the launch of a program to help homebound people in Jefferson County get their COVID-19 vaccines. This is a labor-intensive initiative that is slow and painstaking, but vital for persons who are homebound due to an illness or physical condition, yet are at risk of the disease if a caregiver inadvertently brings it into their home. You must live within 30 miles of UAB in order to be eligible. For more information, call (205) 504-6098. The totals:
3/14- 368
3/15- 549 (exclusive of backlog)
3/16- 488
3/17- 558 (exclusive of backlog)
3/18- 572
3/19- 531
3/20- 508
3/21- 373
3/22- 319
3/23- 10 (due to “technical difficulties”)
3/24- 922
3/25- 427
3/26- 442
3/27- 492