Alabama officials optimistic about improving numbers

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s state health officer said Friday that he is cautiously optimistic about improving COVID-19 numbers but urged people to maintain precautions such as wearing masks and avoiding crowds.

“This is the most optimistic we’ve been I think maybe since this all began,” Dr. Scott Harris told reporters in a briefing.

Three major barometers of the pandemic’s severity — hospitalizations, daily new cases and the percent of tests coming back positive — have fallen to levels the state last saw in fall or summer. Although, state health officials expressed alarm when the state hit those numbers last year.

“We are not out of the woods, but we see how to get out of the woods. Please don’t stop doing the things that you are doing. This is not the time to ease up wearing your mask. It’s not the time to go be in large groups of people,” Harris said.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Alabama hospitals Friday dipped below 1,000 for the first time since late October.

Alabama mirrors the national trend on improving case numbers. Medical officials have offered different possible reasons for the decline.

Harris said there may be increased immunity from both vaccinations and temporary natural immunity from people who have been exposed to the virus. The end of the holiday season, and the large gatherings that come with them, likely also plays a part, he said.

“Frankly, it has been a breath of fresh air for all of us in health care. This has been a tremendous burden for all of us,” Dr. Sarah Nafziger, vice president for clinical services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, said of the decline over recent weeks.

Nafziger said there are a lot of theories about why the numbers are falling. Vaccinations play a role, but she said it is likely a combination of factors. She said the use of monoclonal antibodies is helping to keep virus patients from being hospitalized.

Nafziger said she hoped personal behavior, such as mask wearing, was also driving the decline in cases.

The declining numbers come after a lethal surge in cases around the fall and winter holidays. Alabama set a record for deaths in January.