The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on Friday announced that is has welcomed a support team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) newly deployed to assist the state with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The five-member team of CDC professionals reportedly began assisting the department on Wednesday and will remain through July 3. ADPH in a release said that the department “requested the help of the team that includes an epidemiologist, a medical epidemiologist, an epidemiologist/data analyst, a risk communicator and an informatics/visualization specialist.”
The CDC deployment team will reportedly help staff with streamlining COVID-19 reporting, developing county-level indicators for use by local officials, recommending interventions based on the analysis and assisting with development and review of outreach and communication messages to the public.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris stated, “The expertise of these public health professionals will further our staff’s abilities to assess our processes and will help guide us in our efforts to protect the public during this pandemic. We are grateful for the partnerships we have with CDC and other authorities at the local, state and federal levels.”
ADPH has conducted testing, case investigation and contact tracing since the beginning of the pandemic. As the state is experiencing widespread community transmission, ADPH has worked to expand COVID-19 testing capabilities with drive-in sites throughout the state.
According to Bamatracker.com, Alabama saw 964 confirmed COVID-19 cases added on Friday, with the most occurring in Jefferson County (149).
— Bama Tracker: Alabama COVID-19 (@BamaTracker) June 26, 2020
This came after Thursday saw Alabama’s highest number of single-day confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
To slow the spread of the virus, ADPH continues to strongly recommend the public practice proper social distancing, hygiene, sanitation and the use of face coverings when around others. More information is available via ADPH here and via the CDC here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.