A Message from Mayor Stimpson - April 24
Apr 24th, 2020
Posted in: COVID-19
Good evening,
It is 9 p.m. on Friday, April 24, and I am writing to give you an update on the City of Mobile's efforts regarding COVID-19.
As of tonight, there are 810 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mobile County, out of 4,402 total tests. There are 38 deaths attributed to the virus. The numbers are unchanged from yesterday, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
What a week! Thank God it's Friday. We entered the week anticipating a surge of new COVID-19 cases, with health experts projecting the virus would peak during this time frame. We end the week encouraged that we are weathering the storm, with our local hospitals holding up strong.
We continue to ramp up our testing capacity, which is reflected in the increase in the total number of cases. As we continue to assess the data, we are seeing an emerging trend that indicates the rate of infection may be decreasing. We will monitor those numbers through the weekend and hope to share more details early next week.
We have placed a priority on our local nursing homes after seeing outbreaks in two of them this week. The elderly residents of these facilities and the staff who take care of them account for a significant number of our positive cases. As many as a third of our fatalities were residents of nursing homes, according to the Mobile County Health Department.
The City has provided test kits and protective gear to our nursing homes and we are ready to do more to prevent additional outbreaks. It is a challenge for us to fix this problem because nursing homes fall under state and federal oversight. But we are engaging directly with their leadership and we are determined to make a difference.
It's really important we do all we can to stop the virus from spreading, particularly among our older and most vulnerable citizens. As they become ill, it increases the stress on our health care system and potentially puts first responders at increased risk.
That's why despite all of our progress, it is still crucial that each of us continues to practice social distancing and follow the guidelines recommended by health experts. I believe that your good efforts were the key in helping us to avoid "the surge." While the trends are encouraging, it's still too soon to declare victory so let's all keep up the good work.
Next week will be another momentous week as we expect a major announcement from Governor Ivey regarding her statewide "stay home" order. The current order, which affects non-essential businesses, is set to expire at midnight April 30. We are working closely with her Administration and will be ready to implement whatever new guidelines she proposes.
While we will continue to work, I do plan to take a little time this weekend to recharge and catch up with family. I hope you will do the same. Thank you for continuing to receive this correspondence and I do appreciate all the positive feedback we receive.
Sincerely,
Mayor Sandy Stimpson