COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, with the entire state testing at high positivity rates.
On Monday, Feb. 7, the seven-day positivity rate for the State of Alabama was 26.2 percent, while the positivity rate for Fayette County registered at 35.8 percent. The new Omicron variant appears to be far more contagious than the previous COVID viruses, but medical officials say that there is now a variant of the original Omicron virus that is even more contagious.

COVID-19 vaccines are now readily available across the state, including the Fayette County Health Department. The Fayette County Health Department is currently giving COVID vaccines and COVID booster shots on Mondays - Fridays  at the department, from 8 a.m. - noon and from 1 - 5 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

After battling with Mississippi the past couple of weeks in a neck-to-neck race, Alabama now holds the dubious distinction of having the lowest COVID vaccination rate in the nation. That distinction is nothing to brag about, as the state is currently seeing the number of COVID cases and hospitalizations rise again after a few months of relative calm. Adding to the concern is a new, more contagious version of the COVID virus, the highly infectious Delta variant.

Governor Kay Ivey announced on Monday, May 3 that Alabama’s COVID-19 public health order will end Monday, May 31, and the state of emergency will end Tuesday, July 6. “For over a year now, Alabamians, like people around the globe, have made sacrifices and adjusted to a temporary ‘new normal.’ We have learned much since last year, and this is absolutely now a managed pandemic. Our infection rates and hospitalizations are in better shape, and over 1.5 million Alabamians have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Governor Ivey said.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has extended her mask ordinance for the state until Friday, April 9.
In extending the order, Ivey promised that this would be the last time that she would extend the order. “After April 9, I will not keep the mask order in place,” she said during a Wednesday March 3 news conference.

Fayette’s positivity rate of new COVID-19 cases has decreased during the past several weeks, but the death rate of those contracting the virus has appeared to sharply increase. Five weeks ago, the Alabama Department of Public Health listed the total number of COVID-19 related deaths within Fayette County at 18. The total listed by the department on Jan. 26 was 29, which shows an increase of 11 deaths for the specified timeframe.

Despite a recent increase in coronavirus vaccinations within Alabama, a poll stated that Alabama ranks last in vaccinations received within the nation. Vaccinations began Monday, Jan. 18 at the Fayette County Health Department for people 75 years of age and older. A steady line of recipients waited patiently for the vaccines at the health department on the first day they were available.

Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on Friday, Jan. 8 announced that the ADPH will provide COVID-19 vaccinations for people 75 years old or older, as well as first responders, including law enforcement and firefighters, statewide by appointment only effective January 18. Appointments at locations throughout the state are made first come, first served. The addition of these groups is not a full expansion into the next phase of the vaccine rollout.

The year 2020 has certainly been a year for the record books, and not in a very positive manner. The COVID-19 pandemic dominated the news throughout the year and has affected almost everyone’s daily lives. The past couple of months have been especially difficult, as numerous friends and family members have contracted the coronavirus. Almost nothing concerning the year 2020 has been anything like normal, with people suffering physically, emotionally and financially due to the virus.

Although Fayette County no longer leads the state in the positivity rate of COVID-19 tests during the past two weeks, the county still ranks in the top 10 with a positivity rate of 51 percent. As of Sunday, Dec. 20, Fayette County had recorded 236 positive test out of a total of 453 tests performed during a two-week period. Two weeks ago, Fayette County had the highest rate in the state with 56 percent of the tests being positive.