COVID19 Still Declining in Alabama

COVID19 is still with us and may always be with us. But with warmer temperatures and more people spending more time outdoors, Alabama is one of four states to seeing declining numbers of COVID19 cases. Tennessee, Oklahoma and Indiana are the other three.

At least 12 states, plus the District of Columbia, are experiencing a growing number of cases according to a release today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those states were identified as Alaska, Arizona, California, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Washington state.

20 states are classified as stable or uncertain. That includes Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Virginia in the south.

The CDC reports even the states experiencing rising numbers are well below peak pandemic numbers. The uptick comes as nearly all parts of the country remain at "low" or "minimal" levels of so-called "respiratory illness activity" under the CDC's benchmarks, similar to previous years' slowdowns in COVID-19's spread over the spring and early summer.

Alabama Hospitals Association President Dr. Donald Williamson points out, "COVID19 will be like influenza, it will wane in warm weather and pick up in colder weather." The CDC agrees and believes the numbers will soon level off in the states experiencing the increases once weather conditions there become more suitable for outdoor activities. Most of the states on the uptick have experienced unseasonably cold weather while warm weather states like California, Georgia, Hawaii and Florida have endured storms and heavy rainfall that have kept people indoors.

"Based on current data there are no indicators that KP.2 would cause more severe illness than other strains. CDC will continue to monitor community transmission of the virus and how vaccines perform against this strain," the CDC said.