Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin was released Wednesday from Princeton Baptist Medical Center, where he received Remdesivir and convalescent plasma therapy to address COVID pneumonia. He received these treatments in keeping with established criteria for COVID pneumonia patients.
The mayor’s personal physician said the mayor has improved since being admitted to the hospital on Jan. 4 and it’s no longer necessary to keep him in the hospital. The mayor will continue his recovery at home, where he will self-quarantine while serving the city.
Mayor Woodfin issued this statement upon his release:
“I’m grateful and thankful that I stayed in touch with my primary care doctor, and he encouraged me to come into the hospital, where they were able to detect COVID pneumonia in my left lung. I’m blessed that they caught it early. To my doctor, the nurses, staff and everyone at Princeton Baptist, I thank you for taking care of me these last three days.
“I also want to thank everyone who has sent text messages, emails and shared comments on social media. I have been deeply moved and humbled by those messages.
“As a patient, as a citizen and as a mayor, if ever there was a time for people to continue to take steps to help stop the spread of this virus, this is the time. We are not out of the woods. People need to take this virus seriously.”
Woodfin said he was being released on the same day his grandmother was being laid to rest. “That pains me,” he wrote. “I can’t be there, and I miss her. She was 87 years old and she died of COVID-19. If you don’t have to be out, don’t’ be out. Wash your hands. Wear your masks and practice social distancing.”
Since being diagnosed with COVID-19, the mayor has continued to lead the city. He remains in regular contact with his executive leadership and other staff. City services and initiatives have not been interrupted during his hospitalization.
Earlier this week in a statement Woodfin said, “We have often heard how important it is to follow the recommendations of health professionals as those recommendations relate to COVID-19. I am doing that. I want to encourage people to continue to listen to and to follow the advice of medical experts about this virus.’’
