Coronavirus colonizes rural Alabama

Deep in the old plantation nations of Alabama, the low-population Lonedes County has the sad difference of having both the highest rate and the worst unemployment rate in the state in the case of COVID-19.

Initially when the disease devastated the city, counties and other rural areas of the state are now facing a “total storm.” Poverty and lack of access to health care, which combines incidental health problems including hypertension, heart disease, and lung disease, kidney disease and diabetes can exacerbate the outcomes of people sick with coronaviruses. Dr. Ellen Eaton said.

“I think a lot of people who didn’t have immunity fell into this idea because they’re in vast areas rather than in the tight spaces of New York and New Jersey,” said Eaton, who specializes in infectious diseases. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

But no longer. Lowand, a rural, mostly black county, in rural Alabama’s rural area faces an increasing number of confirmed infections. Many of the illnesses have to be transferred to municipal hospitals, so their outbreaks have also affected urban areas.

Longos is on the freeway less than 30 miles from Montgomery’s white-dome Parliament House, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., led a voting march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Today, the population is 9,700, 220 people are now tested positive for the virus.

The proliferation of Lonedes and neighboring counties may be closely linked to their demographics-and history as the home of cotton plantations slaves fueled the Confederates. About 75% of the Lone Death population is African American, and nearly 30% are in poverty. The unemployment rate soared to 26% as the area manufacturing plant was closed during the pandemic.

This problem can be seen somewhere in the deep south countryside. John Hopkins University Tally The concentration of cases is intense.

Blacks are pandemic and suffer from imbalances. AP communication analysis According to state and local data available in April, almost one-third of the dead were African Americans, and about 14% of the population in the study area was black.

As seen in Lowndes, some health conditions that are present in higher proportions in the black community make African Americans more susceptible to the virus and they are also more likely to be uninsured.

The Alabama numbers reflect that national picture. About 27% of the state’s 4.9 million inhabitants are black, while African-Americans make up 44% of the 590 dead.

For most people, coronaviruses cause mild or moderate symptoms. For some people, especially the elderly and those with existing health problems, it can cause more serious illness and death.

County admin Jacqueline Thomas used her fingers this week to count five elderly Lonedes residents who recently died of the disease. She is afraid of what will happen if the state deregulates more and the weather gets warmer.

“I’m worried about Loans County,” Thomas said. “I’m worried about what happens where.”

Almost one-third of statewide lawsuits have occurred in the past two weeks as Governor Kay Ivy eased regulations aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus to revive the economy. Since then, a high school graduation ceremony has been held that has attracted thousands of people. Packed beach. Reopened bars and churches. And many real faces that are not protected by a mask.

State health official Dr. Scott Harris said the number of new cases was the highest in recent years since the pandemic began.

“I know a bit that it’s related to the increase in testing, but I don’t think it explains everything,” Harris said.

Patients are seeking medical attention in cities such as Montgomery, as the number of cases is increasing in areas including Lones County, where there are no hospitals. Harris says that the coronavirus alone seems to infect the community “widely”.

Mayor of Montgomery, Steven Reed, announced last week that the city’s hospital’s intensive care unit was or was almost full. Mr Harris said hospitals have the capacity to improve the capacity of the ICU if necessary, but city officials said this should be seen as a warning of the spread of the virus and warns people. Urged. Reed said he alerted at the request of local health authorities.

“It didn’t go away. It’s not stable,” he said. “It’s not over. We haven’t won the battle against COVID-19 yet,” Reed said.

The Alabama State Guard has been sent to a nursing home that was hit hard at COVID-19 to assist with cleaning and training. Through an ongoing military partnership, military officials announced that a Romanian medical team of 15 arrived on Thursday to help the country with the support of COVID-19 and share lessons learned from Europe.

Many in the region do not have recommended measures to prevent illness, but have taken other measures. Marvin Johnson put on a protective mask with a convenience store gas pump and jumped into the car as soon as a masked stranger approached.

“I don’t want to get sick,” he said through a broken window.

Shenae Harris also wore a mask, but was worried that many other county residents didn’t cover their faces and, as recommended, didn’t keep 6 feet away from others. I will.

“People still have parties and gatherings,” she said.

State health officer Dr. Karen Landers said health officials are unaware of the single location causing the increase in cases in the county, such as nursing homes.

But Thomas, the county’s manager, sees other worrisome signs in the poor community around her.

She said multigenerational families often live in small homes in the county, as well as in other places where many low-income residents live. Thomas said that young people, who are at risk of transmitting infections to their more vulnerable parents and grandparents, tend to take less precautions against the virus and go home.

“Once that happens, it’s too late,” she said. “It’s too late.”