October 28, 2020 - Relentless
Relentless
October 28, 2020
Relentless. That is the word used by a FB friend recently to describe this virus. Yes, this virus is certainly relentless. Today, Alabama’s positive cases grew by 1,269 (incl 328 probables) and there were 7,428 tests, which translates into a one-day positivity rate of 17.08%.
Again, tracking sites will reflect differing 7-day rolling averages for positivity, depending on how they treat the older cases reported by ADPH last week. Johns Hopkins says Alabama’s positivity rate is 25.17%, while BamaTracker determined the rate to be 23%. If you exclude all of the older tests, the rate is somewhere between 17.7% and 19%. By any measure, Alabama’s positivity rate easily remains among the top 10, if not the top 5, in the country.
Statewide hospitalizations rose to 1,013 from 108 reporting hospitals, an increase of 12 patients from yesterday. Since September 25, COVID hospital patients have risen 44%, which is similar to the 46% increase throughout the nation over the same period.
There were 19 more deaths in the State, bringing our overall death toll to 2,911. Of the 187,706 persons who have tested positive in Alabama since the pandemic began, ADPH considers 74,000 to have “recovered”, while more than 110,000 cases are still active. Our State, which ranks 25th in the nation in population, currently ranks 9th in active cases.
Eight months into this pandemic, it is exhausting to deal with the rationalizations and spin from those who refuse to take the coronavirus seriously. The latest canard is that the virus is not so bad because the death rate is declining. It should be remembered that this virus does not just kill people; it can also leave unimaginable scars on long-term survivors. Allow me to share these excerpts from the first-hand account of one friend who survived two bouts of COVID that included hospitalization:
“Covid-19 is not the flu. Not even close. It is a very smart organism designed to steal whatever it can from your body and leave nothing behind. Body aches that felt like stabs knocked down my energy and then it went for my lungs, which still had a bit of bronchitis from round one. Before round 1, I could walk 5 miles any given day. After that, walking around the block had become an effort. Now, I take pride in the knowledge that I can walk to the end of my driveway and get the mail.
Pretend you and yours are as vulnerable as your 85-year-old neighbor next door. What would you do differently? I’m fairly certain most people wouldn’t be sipping drinks in bars and restaurants if they knew how hard it is to sip air to survive.
Let’s be at least as smart as this insidious virus and act responsibly. Wear a mask when you go out. Limit your exposure to others whenever possible. Follow the CDC guidelines for distancing and work and life.
Having danced between worlds for a few days, I was reminded of how valuable life is. How vulnerable and wonderful it can all be. It’s worth fighting for and worth a little summer sweat and fogged-up glasses from breathing through layers of protection.”
The 14-day totals:
10/15 - 1185
10/16 -1212
10/17 -1288
10/18 - 964
10/19 - 859
10/20 -1043
10/21 -1146
10/22 -1390
10/23 -1287
10/24 -1178 - 1769
10/25 -1079
10/26 - 967
10/27- 1115
10/28 -1269
Jefferson County had 196 cases today, while Montgomery County had 83 and Mobile County had 81. Thirty-nine counties had 14-day positivity rates above 20%, 12 above 30% and 2 above 40%. Only Madison and Macon counties have rates below 10%.