Sept. 20, 2021 — For the primary time in Alabama’s identified historical past, the state’s deaths have outpaced its births — a bleak consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our state actually shrunk in 2020,” Scott Harris, MD, Alabama’s state well being officer, stated at a news conference. “It hasn’t occurred earlier than, nor has it even been shut earlier than.”
He stated that based on accessible information, which dates again to the early 1900s, this phenomenon was not even seen in the course of the flu pandemic of 1918, or Phrase Struggle I or World Struggle II.
There have been 64,714 whole deaths within the state final yr, in comparison with 57,641 births, Harris stated.
Solely 40% of Alabama residents are totally vaccinated towards COVID-19.
Harris pointed to the troubling statistic that 1 of 500 folks within the U.S. have died of COVID-19 — which he referred to as a “staggering quantity” — and famous that though the U.S. has lower than 5% of the world’s inhabitants, it accounts for greater than 15% of deaths.
“We’re persevering with to have double-digit numbers of deaths reported on most days,” he stated.
COVID-19 circumstances, hospitalizations, and deaths are persevering with to climb. In line with federal data, the U.S. noticed greater than 10,000 COVID-related deaths in 1 week. Among the highest dying tolls had been seen in Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina.
The common U.S. COVID-19 every day dying toll surpassed 2,000 this previous weekend for the primary time since March 1, based on a New York Times database.
Texas and Florida collectively account for greater than 30% of these deaths.
