Thursday was the worst day for new American coronavirus cases to this point in the global pandemic as 118,319 Americans tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the data tracking website Worldometer.
The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,380 new cases here in Alabama on Thursday, taking the known number of coronavirus cases in Alabama to 199,158. Alabama could surpass 200,000 cases as early as Friday as 111,661 cases remain active. Some 84,471 Alabamians have recovered from the virus.
Those are just the cases that we know about. An estimated 20 percent of people infected with the coronavirus have few if any symptoms. An unknown, but likely considerable, number of people are out there infected and don’t know it. More than 3.3 million Americans are currently dealing with active coronavirus infections.
Efforts to contain the virus appears to have failed globally. The novel strain of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is surging, and 8,769 people worldwide died of COVID-19 on Thursday, a new record high.
The U.S. is still the hardest-hit nation with 1,125 deaths, but the U.S. is not alone. France thought they had the coronavirus under control. There were few deaths in France over the summer, but 854 people were reported dead from COVID-19 in France on Tuesday, its worst day since April.
In Brazile, 161,779 people have died from the virus including 669 on Thursday. In India, 125,029 people have died. In the United Kingdom, 870 people died from COVID-19 in the last two days. Italy reported 428 new deaths on Thursday.
ADPH reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths Thursday, taking the state total to 3,026. 1,017 Alabamians were hospitalized on Wednesday. More Alabamians were hospitalized with COVID-19 during this first week of November than any day since early September.
On Thursday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey extended her “safer-at-home” order through Dec. 11. It had been set to expire on Sunday. Also extended was the statewide mask order. Dr. Scott Harris, the state’s health officer, said that cases have been increasing in the last two weeks.
Ivey did lift many restrictions on restaurant capacity and on businesses like barbershops.
“Specifically for restaurants, if they install plexiglass partitions or some other device, then they will be able to increase the number of patrons that they are serving daily,” Ivey said. “Simply put, this should be welcome news as we get ready for the upcoming holiday season, which is often the bread and butter for retail, and especially for locally-owned small businesses.”
Citizens are advised to wear a mask whenever they are around people not living in their household and whenever they are in public places. Everyone should practice social distancing at all times.
Don’t hug or shake hands with people not from your household. Don’t touch your face. Wash hands frequently. Use hand sanitizer. Avoid crowds and venues with high numbers of people and stay at home as much as possible.
