Class pets, weed boom, school robots: News from around our 50 states Read full article May 5, 2021, 7:33 AM·51 min read Alabama Birmingham: Declaring the COVID-19 pandemic “absolutely” managed despite lagging vaccinations, Gov. Kay Ivey said Monday that she will end a health order meant to guard against the spread of an illness that has killed nearly 11,000 people statewide. Citing improved infection rates, fewer hospitalizations and more widespread immunizations, Ivey said the current order recommending that people follow health guidance and requiring some precautions for senior citizens and long-term care facilities will end May 31, barring a sharp rise in cases. The declared state of emergency will end July 6, she said in a statement. “For over a year now, Alabamians, like people around the globe, have made sacrifices and adjusted to a temporary ‘new normal.’ We have learned much since last year, and this is absolutely now a managed pandemic. Our infection rates and hospitalizations are in better shape, and over 1.5 million Alabamians have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Ivey said. Still, Dr. Ellen Eaton, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said physicians are seeing more and more young, unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. With only 22% of Alabamians fully vaccinated, leaders should aim for more widespread protection before any return to business as usual, she said.