While daily numbers of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama’s largest metro area have declined since a low point in late July, Jefferson County’s top care officials say mandatory masks are likely to be in place through the winter flu season.
Dr. Jefferson County Health Officer Mark Wilson said Friday in an online press conference that he could not say whether Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris would extend the state-wide order that requires people to wear face masks in public, but that he expects masks in Jefferson County to be mandatory by the winter.
“The face covers will have a dual benefit, and protect us from the spread of not only COVID-19, but flu,” Wilson said. ‘So, I do not know what the state will do, but here in Jefferson County it will probably push for face coverage to continue through the flu season.
“Just an advance warning, some people may not like that, but we have to be really careful.”
Wilson expressed optimism about Alabama’s COVID numbers over the past two weeks, but said the state still has a long way to go in combating the disease.
“I’m kind of encouraged,” Wilson said. “The last few weeks, our number of new cases per day, and our percentage positivity rate on individuals who have been tested, have started to decrease somewhat.
“Keep in mind, however, that this is a slight improvement from being in a pretty bad place with really high numbers. That we still have a long way to go, but these are encouraging signs. ‘
Wilson said the statewide mask order that has been in place since July 16 appears to have an effect in reducing the number of COVID cases.
“I now believe we have pretty good evidence that our orders for face coverage and our help from the public in wearing face coverage has made a difference,” Wilson said.
At the press conference, UAB-St. Vincent’s health system CEO Will Ferniany said hospitalizations have baptized those summer peaks, but that hospitals like UAB still operate at a capacity of 90 percent or more.
“From March to about 20 July, UAB Hospital will treat anywhere between 60 and 70 [COVID] patients per day, such as clockwork, ”Ferniany said. “And then on July 20 it started to go up, and it reached a height of 130 about a week and a half ago and is starting to come back now.”
Ferniany said UAB currently has 97 COVID in-patients, of which about 40 are in the intensive care unit. With extra space being dedicated to COVID patients, Ferniany said the hospital is still working close to capacity.
“We have opened backups and are basically re-filled with patients who need care,” Ferniany said. “They did not go away when COVID came, so we are now running a very full hospital with neurosurgery, cardiovascular and other things of tertiary type, trauma, that people need.”
Schools, Flu and Labor Day
But any optimism is preserved. Many schools across the state are returning to personal learning in the coming weeks, potentially providing new avenues to spread the virus. Labor Day holiday is difficult, after the state saw major spikes in cases after Memorial Day and Independence Day. And, finally, the advent of flu season this fall could further stress the state’s hospital system.
Wilson said some cases at schools were indispensable. The Alabama Department of Public Health has published additional demographic information on its COVID dashboard showing that more than 7,000 Alabama children between the ages of 5 and 17 have tested positive for the virus since the outbreak began.
“We saw a fairly large increase in cases among children at the end of June,” Wilson said. ‘And that’s why it’s there, and there will be children coming to school who may have had it before they went to school, and teachers and other staff.
‘It’s indispensable. But we want to do everything we can, as children back to school, to reduce the spread within school so that schools can stay open. ”
Wilson said the department is setting up new test sites so children can be tested faster after the start of the semester, but those plans are in the early stages.
“We will work with our local pediatric community to try our best to make testing very convenient and easy for our children when they need it,” Wilson said.
Wilson also urged everyone to continue wearing masks in public and to start thinking now about getting their flu.
“We need everyone over the age of six this year to get a flu vaccine,” Wilson said. “We contribute to it every year, but this year it is more important than ever.
“We have no reason to think that one can not get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time, which can be a deadly combination. We must also continue to do everything possible to protect our hospitals from overwhelm with the combination of these two different diseases. ”
Test status and quarantine periods
Wilson said he conducts regular check-ins with facilities that offer COVID testing in Jefferson County, and that although some people have experienced long delays in testing and receiving results in July and August, the backlog seems to have eased.
“It seems like some things have improved since about three or four weeks ago,” Wilson said. “They reported to me that most laboratories where they now work have a turnover of about 24 to 72 hours, whereas three or four weeks ago that became much less.”
Wilson also said there was some confusion about what to do when waiting for test results. He said that on July 31, the department issued an order instructing test sites to provide an infographic on what to do while awaiting test results, as well as a quarantine order that could be used as documentation for employees not to work back while they are waiting for their test results.
Wilson also said that people who have exhibited to someone who tested positive for COVID 14 days themselves should be quarantined, whether they test or not.
“If you’ve been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, which means your definition is 15 minutes or longer within six feet of that person, then you should stay home and not interact with others for 14 days,” Wilson said. .
Wilson said an isolation period of 14 days is required, even if you test negative for COVID, because the tests may not catch COVID infection if you do not have the virus long enough.
“If you’ve had close contact, and you’ve been tested, and you’ve had a negative test, you’ll have to stay in quarantine for another 14 days,” Wilson said. ‘And that’s because 14 days is the maximum time of exposure to the virus, where you can still develop symptoms and become positive.
‘That’s a lot of confusion about it, but what that means is if you’ve had contact with someone, you can’ t just go out and get a test and it’s negative and then you can just go back to doing what you did before. . It does not work that way. ”
