covid-19

State Officials Warn of COVID-19 Scam in Alabama

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

  We have a warning about a COVID-related scam that’s being reported in Alabama. State health officials and the state Medicaid agency say people are being offered COVID testing and vaccines in their homes. Some of these offers are by phone, others are in person. The person may claim to work for the Alabama Medicaid Agency. They say this is…

Medical Breakthroughs: COVID-19 Mild in Children+Heart Failure Patients and COVID-19+How Mindfulness Helps Breast Cancer Survivors

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

A new review shows covid-19 is generally mild in young children.  Australian researchers looked at dozens of studies and found children under five years old were likely to recover. Half of those infected were infants and almost half of the younger children who were positive for covid-19 had no symptoms. New research highlights the importance for heart failure patients to…

Medical Breakthroughs: Common Side Effects of COVID-19+Importance of Skin Contact Between Father and Baby

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

A new study highlights the benefits of skin-to-skin contact between a father and baby after a c-section delivery. Researchers found laying the newborn on their dad’s chest, when the mom and baby had to be separated, helped stabilize the infant’s heart rate and promote wakefulness. In COVID-19 news, researchers in Europe are learning more about one of the most common…

Birmingham Mayor Released After COVID-19 Treatment

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has been released from a hospital after being treated for COVID-19. A statement from the city says Woodfin went home on Wednesday to continue recovering from the illness and quarantining. The 39-year-old Woodfin was admitted to Princeton Baptist Medical Center on Monday with pneumonia in his left lung caused by COVID-19. A…

Birmingham’s Woodfin among 4 Alabama mayors with COVID-19

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – The mayors of at least four Alabama cities have been diagnosed with COVID-19 as the illness spreads rapidly across the state following the holidays. The city of Birmingham said Mayor Randall Woodfin was admitted to a hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia on Monday, five days after announcing he tested positive for the new coronavirus. Decatur Mayor Tab…

COVID-19 Vaccine Available at Lowndes Co. Health Department

George McDonald,
Posted:

by George McDonald

From the West Alabama Newsroom– Protection from COVID-19 is now available at the Lowndes County Health Department in Hayneville. The Moderna vaccine is currently being administered to frontline healthcare workers and first responders. The vaccine is given in two doses — 30 days apart. “By me working with Collerine Volunteer Fire Department I came on and got it and I’m…

Alabama Hits New High for Virus Hospitalizations

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama has hit a new high for the number of people in state hospitals. State Health Department numbers show there were a record 3,064 people in state hospitals Monday with COVID-19. The new peak comes during what health officials feared would be a rise in cases after the winter holidays. Dr. Don Williamson, the president of…

Birmingham mayor hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Officials say the mayor of Birmingham has been hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, five days after announcing he tested positive for coronavirus. A tweet from the City of Birmingham says Mayor Randall L. Woodfin was admitted to the hospital Monday night “to address symptoms connected to COVID pneumonia.” The tweet says Woodfin remained “in good spirits.” On…

“Mask Up” Video Contest to Show Importance of Wearing Masks

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – State medical groups are sponsoring a video contest to explain why it’s important to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Hospital Association, and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama are sponsoring the “Mask Up Alabama” video contest. The videos should be 30-second or less and…

Alabama Records Nearly One-Third of Its Coronavirus Cases in December

WAKA Action 8 News,
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by WAKA Action 8 News

Alabama has notched almost a third of its coronavirus cases in December. The alarming bulge in infections has echoed the warnings of medical experts who said the state would see some dark days before a vaccine became widely available. Alabama saw 109,000 of its 361,226 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported in December. The sharp rise came after the Thanksgiving…