A Message from Mayor Stimpson - March 21
Mar 21st, 2020
Posted in: COVID-19
Good evening,
It is 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, and I am writing to give you an update on the City of Mobile's efforts regarding COVID-19.
As of tonight we have two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mobile County. My top priority remains your health and safety, and my team is fully engaged in the effort to protect you from this threat to our community.
I have been working diligently for the past 48 hours to secure test kits for the City of Mobile. Tonight, I'm pleased to tell you that we have made substantial progress.
Synergy Laboratories, a medical testing facility based in Mobile, is developing a COVID-19 diagnostic test that we intend to use at our two drive-in testing sites. As mentioned in my last email, those sites are located at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and The Grounds in Mobile.
Working with Brad Pitts, the chief executive of Synergy Labs, we believe the test kits can be ready by April 1. This is a huge step forward, as test kits are in short supply around the country.
Last night, I dispatched a team of our first responders to Birmingham to learn how they have been able to conduct drive-through testing. The Church of the Highlands has tested more than 1,000 people so far, with processing completed by Assurance Scientific Lab in Birmingham.
My team met with church officials, Assurance professionals and health care leaders today to understand how they organized the process. My goal is to have similar testing in place by this time next week.
A few more steps we have taken:
- I participated in a video conference with more than 200 mayors from around the country as we listened to top public health experts from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and crisis leadership experts from Harvard University.
- I spoke today with Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the Director of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. Selwyn Vickers, Dean of the School of Medicine at UAB, to get their recommendations on how to manage our testing sites. They are among the best in the world at what they do.
- I spoke with the leaders of our four hospitals in Mobile to keep them apprised of our efforts, and to make sure my Administration is doing all we can to support them. We are blessed to have such an outstanding health care community in Mobile, and they are well prepared to serve us in the days ahead.
Tomorrow, I am scheduled to participate in a conference call with mayors from around Alabama to share best practices and lessons learned. I will keep working on our plans for testing sites, and I will continue working on the creation of a Disaster Relief Fund to support those in our community who have been harmed by COVID-19.
I also will take some time to read the Bible and worship. I am grateful to those of you who have responded with prayers and words of support - they are appreciated.
The best thing that you can do to help is to follow the recommended CDC guidelines, including washing your hands regularly, practicing social distancing and staying home if you are sick.
If we all follow these steps, we will save lives.
Thank you for allowing me to share this update with you. As always, I am grateful to be your mayor. Working together, we will make it through this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Mayor Sandy Stimpson