Bert Eichold News Today

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama closed 2021 with a surge of COVID-19 cases as the extremely contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to sweep the nation. Alabama on Thursday hit a new high for the seven-day average positivity rate— the percentage of COVID tests coming back positive — at 31.4%.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Health officials on Tuesday urged people to take precautions,...

We’ve heard repeatedly from the country’s vaccine resisters. But what about the people who follow the rules? They’re ignored and forgotten—and they are in pain.

Hospitals in the lovingly dubbed "Redneck Riviera" along the northern Gulf Coast are running out of critical care beds for coronavirus patients following a summer of partying, tourism and basically just trying to get back to normal.

Health officials believe the rampant spread of the virus is due to a combination of some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, unabated tourism, a disregard for basic health precautions and the region’s carefree lifestyle.

On maps that show virus “hot spots” in red, this part of the U.S. coast is glowing like a bad sunburn. And a summer of booming tourism that followed the lockdowns and travel restrictions of 2020 is making the t

Alabama’s Emerald Coast, also known as the “Redneck Riviera,” has seen unbridled tourism and a corresponding spike in coronavirus rates this Summer. Credit: Royalbroil /CC BY-SA 4.0Alabama’s beloved Emerald Coast, known affectionately as the “Redneck Riviera,” is now a  hotspot for the coronavirus, helping send ICU occupancy rates through the roof in the past several days.As…

The U.S. Gulf Coast is glowing like a bad sunburn on maps that show COVID-19 trouble spots in red.

GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Tourists and servers alike dance atop tables and in the aisles at one restaurant on the “Redneck Riviera,” a beloved stretch of towns along the northern Gulf Coast where beaches, bars and stores are packed. Yet just a few miles away, a hospital is running out of critical care beds, its rooms full of unvaccinated people fighting for their lives.

The U.S. Gulf Coast is glowing like a bad sunburn on maps that show COVID-19 trouble spots in red.