Jackson Hospital has partnered with the Alabama Department of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand access to monoclonal antibody treatments at its main location.
On Thursday and Friday, the Food and Drug Administration convenes its independent advisers for the first stage in the process of deciding whether extra doses of the two vaccines should be dispensed and, if so, who should get them and when. The final go-ahead is not expected for at least another week.
If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a decision that could come in a matter of weeks — it would be the first pill shown to treat the illness. All other FDA-backed treatments against COVID-19 require an IV or injection.
The Alabama Department of Public Health says there have been 14,756 pandemic-related deaths so far with more waiting final confirmation. Nationally, the death rate is around one in 500.
Alabama’s hospitalizations are down over 50%. While that brings some optimism, the head of the Alabama Hospital Association said the pandemic is not over yet.
AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker that developed one of the first COVID-19 vaccines, has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize the emergency use of an antibody treatment to prevent the disease.
Male participants between 18 and 40 years old were the most resistance to vaccination in interviews. However, many of them got vaccinated over a 2-to-4-month period when UA team members spoke to them.
The clock is ticking for a River Region pharmacy before hundreds of their COVID-19 vaccines go to waste. Parks Pharmacy in Montgomery has its refrigerator stocked with 900 Johnson & Johnson doses that expire on Saturday.
Dr. Nafziger said UAB has tried other ways to find staff, and is now joining dozens of other hospitals in the state in asking the federal government for help.
Williamson said while staff is still stretched thin, transfers are also improving. He said the state is now able to transfer patients to other hospitals again, it just is not happening as quickly as he would like.
Baptist Health’s vaccine clinic in Montgomery is just one of many locations across the state of Alabama offering COVID-19 booster doses based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidelines.
With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they’re confident there will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future.
More than 40% of Alabama’s population is fully vaccinated and the vaccination rate is slowly on the rise. Health officials are also seeing more teens and adolescents getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to trend downwards, but state health leaders said that doesn’t mean staffing conditions inside hospitals are improving yet.
Whether you are lifting weights or taking a stroll, it is no secret that exercise is beneficial for you, but the Alabama Department of Public Health said it could also reduce your chances of severe COVID-19 complications.
Millions of Americans are now eligible to receive a Pfizer booster shot to help increase their protection against the worst effects of the coronavirus.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris opened his weekly pandemic briefing with an acknowledgment of CDC reporting that Alabama currently leads the nation for its high COVID-19 death rate.
The Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Hospital Association are cautioning residents not to let their guard down despite the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases, positive tests, and hospitalizations.
