March 30, 2021
The only predictable aspect of this pandemic is how unpredictable it can be. From last June until mid-February, Alabama was at or near the top in most state rankings for new daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Now, the reverse is true … which should cause us to wonder: Is the other shoe about to drop?
In the past week in the U.S, new daily reported cases rose 12.3%, while new daily reported deaths rose 1.1% and Covid-related hospitalizations rose 2.5%. Michigan, which relaxed pandemic restrictions earlier this month, has recorded its highest total since December, a 52% jump in cases compared to last week (5,400 per day). In Connecticut, hospital admissions for patients aged 35-44 are up 41%. At Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, inpatients older than 65 have been replaced by a younger population. This outbreak among younger patients has led President Biden and CDC Director Walensky to plead with Americans to remain vigilant for just a little while longer.
Alabama’s new daily cases, on the other hand, have declined 20% from the prior week - 361 cases today (incl. 77 probables). Yet, the number of daily tests have declined even more from the prior week - 23.3% - which leads us to ask if perhaps there are more cases than are being reported. Hospitalizations are 10% lower than they were this time last week, but today’s total ticked up 2.5% today to 360 patients in 104 reporting hospitals.
So, in which direction are we headed? As we approach the April 9 deadline set by Gov. Ivey for removing all restrictions, will this time be different? Or, as the Governor informed us last April, “Alabama is not New York”, so we have no reason to worry. A telltale sign might be our 7-day positivity rate, which is stubbornly high at 13.9%, according to BamaTracker. The stakes have never been higher - unless we pick up the pace of vaccinations, we cannot avoid what is happening elsewhere in the United States.
Last week in the U.S., an average of 2.76 million doses per day were administered, a 11% increase over the week before. During the same period in Alabama, an average of 26.9K doses per day were administered, a 6% increase over the week before. Alabama has administered at least one dose to 1,134,739 people, covering 28.8% of the eligible population and 23.1% of the State’s entire population (national average = 28.9%). At least 603,928 people have been fully vaccinated, or 12.3% of the State’s population (national average = 15.1%).
A record 30 million coronavirus vaccine doses were allotted to states this week. By comparison, just over 23 million were available the week of March 19. Nearly 40,000 pharmacies across the country are now receiving vaccines compared to 17,000 earlier. There are 21 pharmacy chains in the government's vaccination program and they are all ramping up. It’s time for Alabama to open up eligibility to all Alabamians, like 33 other states have done or will do by the end of this week.
Dr. Harris has only acknowledged that Alabama will meet President Biden’s goal of universal eligibility by May 1. With a 4th wave staring us in the face, it is not only wrong but immoral for Gov. Ivey to rescind the statewide mask order on April 9, before every Alabamian is eligible for vaccination. The totals:
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
3/28- 319
3/29- 228
3/30- 361