A Message from Mayor Stimpson - October 21
Oct 21st, 2020
Good evening,
It is 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, and I am writing to give you an update from the City of Mobile.Today, the Mobile County Health Department reports 14,446 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 73 cases. To review the detailed report, click here. For the last several months, this newsletter has started with a similar update on the number of COVID-19 cases reported across the county, but when evaluating where we are today, I think it's important not to lose sight of how far we've come over the past few months.
In mid-July, Mobile County saw 1,805 cases reported in a single week. By August, reports of new cases had dropped by nearly 70 percent, and our numbers have continued to decrease from there. Today, our 7-day moving average is lower than other similarly sized areas like Montgomery and Madison counties.
The percentage of positive results among tests for COVID-19 has remained roughly 4 percent in October, which is the lowest that percentage has been since March. At the same time, Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have remained relatively stable and are well below what would strain the resources of local hospitals.
I don't point these numbers out to declare victory or to say that we no longer have to worry about COVID-19 in Mobile. We are still in a pandemic, and we are fast approaching the colder months when similar respiratory viruses have historically spread more easily as people spend more time indoors.
However, I do believe the progress we've made is a direct result of Mobilians taking precautions to protect themselves, their families and others in our community. Not only have these actions lessened the human toll of COVID-19, they have also made it possible for us to find safe ways to work, play, vote, worship and resume many of the activities we had to forgo in the early stages of this pandemic.
Face coverings, social distancing, handwashing and personal responsibility continue to be our best tools to prevent the spread of this disease, and I would like to thank each and every citizen who has continued to make these practices part of their daily routines over the last several months.
In his book "Grace for the Moment," Max Lucado expands on the simple but powerful message in James 2:26: Faith that does nothing is dead! "Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do what is right," he writes. Faith with no action is no faith at all.
Let's all go out and do something to help this community in the coming days. Help your neighbor, write a letter, feed a hungry person, teach a child, pray. My executive team and other organizations will join together to do a community clean-up in Africatown this Friday morning. We are all looking forward to making a positive impact in that community.
Sleep tight,