Author: Hannah Richey

UAB outlined what students will be instructed to do if they are exposed to COVID-19 as well as what they should do if they suspect they have the virus in an email sent on Aug. 27. “Even with the majority of the campus community vaccinated, we expect to see COVID cases this semester,” Michael Faircloth, director of UAB Student Health Services, said in the email. As of Aug. 18, 54% of students have reported to Student Health that they received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 50% fully vaccinated. An additional 6% verified through a survey they have…

Campus Dining is maintaining the to-go and socially distanced format for campus restaurants into the fall semester but students will have a wider array of choices and hopefully an improved experience. Campus favorites including Full Moon and Panera will make a return once the semester starts, along with expanded hours with the Hill Student Center being fully open, according to Brian Bowser, resident district manager of Campus Dining. The issues students faced with slower service last year should be improved as well due to both the experience Dining had learning how to work under the new model and the expansion…

Alabama could see a peak of over 13,000 new daily cases of COVID-19 by the end of August if immediate changes to personal behavior are not made widespread. “These are scary numbers. These are much worse than we’ve seen in the past,” Suzanne Judd, professor and epidemiologist in the UAB School of Public Health, said. Judd’s projections also show there could be nearly 8000 hospitalizations at the peak, double what Alabama saw in January of this year. This peak could arrive as soon as Sept. 1. These projections are based on the spread of the delta variant in the United…

There are tons of things to do this weekend in Birmingham. This weekend check out art, music, movies and more with plenty events being free and under $15. Friday Magic City Wellness Center Vaccine Clinic Where: Magic City Wellness CenterWhen: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.Price: Free You can receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for free at the Magic City Wellness Center. Keep yourself and others safe by getting vaccinated Saturday. No appointment required; you only need to call 205-877-8677 to confirm you’re coming so your vaccine dose is ready. The Magic City Wellness Center will have clinics for future dates…

Masks are now required indoors on campus regardless of vaccination status as of July 28 following new CDC guidelines. No additional details about how this will affect students have been released yet. “UAB will require face coverings indoors on campus – regardless of vaccine status – effective Thursday, July 29,” the latest update stated. This decision came two days after the protocols announced on July 20 were put into effect that loosened almost all COVID-19 restrictions, calling it a return to “pre-pandemic policies.” Mask requirements were originally lifted on May 24. The latest CDC guidance that prompted this change says…

Students will return to a “pre-pandemic” campus in the fall after continuous monitoring by the University of Alabama System Health and Safety Task Force while COVID-19 cases rise and the vaccination rate remains low in Alabama. Selwyn Vickers, senior vice president and dean of the UAB School of Medicine and chair of the task force, said this decision came after looking at how high the numbers were from August through February when there were over a thousand new cases per day and comparing those to where we are now with a vaccine. “When we look back at where we were…

July 14, 2021 11:57 a.m. Correction: This article has been corrected to change “have” to “haven’t” in the quote from Dr. Kennedy about how vaccine clinic locations were chosen. UAB is holding COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics until August in an effort to bring the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine directly to students this summer. According to Rebecca Kennedy, Ph.D., assistant vice president for Student Health and Wellbeing, the clinics have been strategically placed across campus in an effort to target as many students as possible on campus this summer. Locations include Heritage Hall, the Hill Student Center, the Chemistry…

With Juneteenth and Father’s Day both happening this weekend, it’s a big one for events to do in Birmingham. Check out our handy guide below for a list of a few great ways you can spend it. Friday Grab ‘n Go Crafts Where: Birmingham Public LibrariesWhen: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.Price: Free The Birmingham Public Library has four free “grab ‘n go” crafts that you can get on Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Video demonstrations of how to do the crafts will be posted to the library’s Facebook page. Find additional information about when the videos will be…

May 25 2:30 p.m. Update: This article has been updated to reflect the latest COVID-19 positive tests for UAB. The previous version used data from the UA System dashboard for April 23 through April 29. As of May 24, masks will no longer be required on campus for fully vaccinated students, staff and faculty with only a few exceptions. The Birmingham city mask mandate expired on the same day.  Those exceptions include while riding the Blazer Express, those involved in UAB youth programs and those working in a health care environment. Screenshot of the May 24 email | Alt text in image In an interview with WVTM, Dr.…

Since the COVID-19 vaccine has become widely available and positive cases have been low on campus, UAB has decided to relax some of the measures taken to curb spread of the virus. On April 15, an email was sent to the UAB community that said the Healthcheck that has been required for the academic year will no longer be required for many after May 10. Only certain UAB students, faculty and staff will be required to complete the Healthcheck. “Students, faculty and staff who are considered health care personnel or have a touchpoint in a clinical building or setting will be required to complete Healthcheck daily until further notice,” the email…