September 30, 2020 - Extension of Alabama's Mask Order
Extension of Alabama's Mask Order
September 30, 2020
Tomorrow is October 1, five months to the day that I began writing my daily posts. The beat goes on but not much has changed. ADPH reported 1,147 new cases (incl. 132 probables) and 23 more deaths (incl. 2 probables). Our 7-day average of new cases is back over 1,000 (1,078 to be exact). There were 12,313 tests reported compared to only 3,380 yesterday. The average for the last 2 days is 7,846, which is close to the 8,118 daily average this week.
Our positivity rate continues to drift down, now standing at 11.87%, which is good for 12th in the nation and 2nd in the South (only lower than Mississippi).
The great news is that Governor Ivey announced an extension of the mask order until Nov. 8. The primary reason: “I want everyone to (vote) and to be able to do it safely." I must confess that I underestimated Gov. Ivey when her order was first issued last summer. I give her credit for taking an independent path than many of her fellow Southern governors, despite fierce opposition from Lt. Governor Ainsworth and a lawsuit filed by Roy Moore. She has shown backbone and I commend her for it. It has surely made a difference.
Perhaps her grit is rubbing off on others. In an opinion piece published this morning, seven former FDA Commissioners, including Scott Gottlieb (who was appointed by Trump himself), publicly denounced the political interference that is undermining public confidence in the vaccine approval process. They wrote, “If the F.D.A. makes available a safe and effective vaccine that people trust, we could expect to meaningfully reduce Covid-19 risk as soon as next spring or summer,” the authors wrote. “Without that trust, our health and economy could lag for years.” I couldn’t agree more. The totals
9/16 - 927
9/17 - 670
9/18 - 1,106
9/19 - 1,301
9/20 - 798
9/21 - 818
9/22 - 804
9/23 - 569
9/24 - 1,053
9/25 - 2,452
9/26 - 933
9/27 - 730
9/28 - 662
9/29 - 571
9/30 - 1,147