As fall nears its halfway point, the updates regarding COVID-19 trend in a positive direction.

Tracy Doughty, president and chief operating officer at Huntsville Hospital, said during Wednesday’s weekly coronavirus briefing reports were “all favorable as we move forward in this pandemic.’’

However, it’s not time to declare victory.

“Everything that we read and we look at says there will be another surge at some point,” Doughty said. “We have got to protect ourselves and do those things that we know help lessen the spread now. It’s still here so be careful.’’

The Associated Press reported that Republicans in the Alabama Senate moved forward legislation aimed at protecting employees who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The bill, forwarded by a vote of 25-6, would make the process easier to claim a religious or medical exemption. To make such a claim an employee would simply have to check a box.

A business that didn’t want to accept the exemption would have to appeal to the Department of Labor and the courts to get permission to fire the employee.

Opponents, including Robin Stone of the Business Council of Alabama, told the AP the bill would “place Alabama employers in a no-win situation by forcing them to comply with conflicting code in the state legislation and existing federal orders.’’

The measure is set for a vote today (Nov. 4).

As of Wednesday, Madison County’s COVID-19 cases totaled 52,817 with 712 deaths. The county’s positivity rate is 4.8 percent. In Huntsville Hospital’s two county locations there are 35 in-patients, 12 who are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and nine on ventilators.

“That 35 pales in comparison to a few months ago when we had 220 in the hospital,’’ said Doughty, who added his hospitals are relaxing visitor restrictions.

Crestwood Medical Center had just three COVID-19 in-patients with only one in the ICU and none on a ventilator.

Meanwhile, vaccines have been approved for 5-11 year olds by the Centers for Disease and Health Prevention.

“Based on projections every million doses given to children ages five to eleven would prevent 58,000 cases, 226 hospitalizations and potentially 600,000 new cases over a period extending into next year,” said Dr. Wes Stubblefield of the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

“(ADPH) will plan to have this in place by possibly early next week, although we have no specific date, of those being administered at the public health departments,” Stubblefield said. “It was reported today that both CVS and Walgreens will be taking appointments for the vaccine starting this weekend.’’

Doughty said Huntsville Hospital will have time slots available for ages 5-11 to get shots without interfering with school schedules.

“I want to make sure that parents don’t have to check children out of school and be respectful of their classroom time,’’ he said. “So we’ll do those 2-6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As soon as we get the vaccine handy, you’ll see our website update. And you can go on and schedule your time, which will require a parent and or legal guardian to be with the child.”