May 20, 2020

May 20, 2020

Today was a very good day ... if you live in the State of New York. In Alabama and the rest of the country - not so much. The myth that the virus is in retreat is simply not true ... unless you live in New York. To illustrate this point, below is a table showing the number of new cases in the U.S. (excluding New York), in New York, and in Alabama on every Wednesday, beginning 4/8 until today:

U.S. (ex - NY) ... New York ... Alabama

4/8 - 22,249 ... 9,568 ... 298

4/15 - 18,261 ... 11,755 ... 288

4/22 - 23,102 ... 5,659 ... 283

4/29 - 21,985 ... 4,718 ... 187

5/6 - 21,759 ... 2,746 ... 247

5/13 - 20,929 ... 2,123 ... 232

5/20 - 20,521 ... 887 ... 368

As you can see, New York has made great progress by observing strict guidelines advocated by public health experts. A few other states can boast of similar progress. Does that mean Alabama has reason to celebrate? Not by a long shot.

Today, it was reported by the Montgomery Advertiser the virus has gotten so bad there is now only ONE vacant ICU bed left in the entire county. Montgomery residents who contract the virus are now being diverted to hospitals in Birmingham. When all the Birmingham ICU beds run out, what happens then?

This is not rocket science. The virus can be defeated only if people follow social distance guidelines and wear masks. It's that simple.