Alabama is currently experiencing its worst coronavirus numbers of the pandemic as the imminent vaccines remain months away from being widely distributed.
According to data from the website BamaTracker, the state has added 2,710 cases per day over the last week, the highest rate yet seen and one likely being accelerated by infections that occurred at Thanksgiving gatherings.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 2,097 Alabamians are hospitalized with COVID-19, the greatest ever number of coronavirus patients the state has experienced.
Alabama has set a new record for COVID-19 patients in the hospital on eight of the last nine days.
Yellowhammer refers to new cases as those that have been confirmed by a test performed in a laboratory setting. When including positives from rapid tests and other metrics, the seven-day average of new cases jumps to 3,396 per day.
Some of Alabama’s cases reported in the last few days came from backlogged tests performed between November 30 and December 5, an indication the ongoing spike might be less steep than it looks when graphed.
UAB Hospital, the state’s largest medical facility and one with the highest national profile, said Tuesday that there are currently 140 patients with COVID-19 being treated in its facilities — a new record.
“These are patients who are either very sick, unable to get better, or potentially unable to survive without medical attention and care,” the hospital clarified.
The Huntsville Hospital System is reporting record numbers as well.
The hardest-hit counties in terms of new cases have been from the Birmingham area north over the last week, with particularly high per-capita case counts in Marshall and Morgan Counties.
Though the most concentrated transmission appears to be occurring in the northern area of the state, 66 0f Alabama’s 67 counties reported a new case on Tuesday, indicating virtually universal transmission throughout Alabama.
Over the last week, 27% of all coronavirus tests administered in Alabama have come back positive, a rate described by experts as indicating a level of virus spread that is out of control.
Alabama has averaged 31 deaths per day of patients with COVID-19 over the last week, the highest rate ever experienced. The previous high for the seven-day average of deaths was 27 per day in late July.
A total of 3,496 Alabamians have died with the coronavirus since the pandemic began, with another 446 listed as “probable” but not yet confirmed by the Alabama Department of Public Health.
The grim news in Alabama comes as the first patients have begun taking Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. A smattering of elderly citizens in the United Kingdom received their initial vaccine dose in the last 24 hours.
Vaccines are unlikely to alleviate the pressing concerns of Alabama’s present coronavirus situation. Dr. Scott Harris, head of ADPH, has mentioned in multiple media appearances over the last week that Alabama is receiving far fewer doses of the Pfizer vaccine than officials initially thought.
Additionally, the Pfizer vaccine is administered in two doses a few weeks apart, so Alabama’s initial allotment of 40,950 doses will vaccinate only a little over 20,000 individuals.
Alabama has around 140,000 workers in its hospitals and nursing homes, according to a 2017 Department of Labor report, with another near 100,000 in ambulatory health care services.
Healthcare workers have been identified as the first to be vaccinated by the CDC.
A shipment of Moderna’s vaccine is expected to arrive around a week after the Pfizer vaccine is said to be of similar size. Both vaccines are still awaiting approval from federal regulators but will ship in as little as a day after permission is given, and most observers expect the approval in the next few days.
Close watchers of Alabama’s coronavirus response have their eyes on Governor Kay Ivey this week. She will be hosting a press conference in the coming days to announce whether she will continue the state’s mask mandate and/or implement other coronavirus mitigation methods.
The governor promised in recent weeks not to close businesses and intimated when the mask order was last extended that it may be close to the last time she would extend it. However, cases have spiked in the interim, and she has made no other public indications as to what her plans are next. The mask mandate was first introduced as a two-week measure in July.
The state’s current Safer-At-Home order expires Friday, December 1h. If past patterns are followed, the governor’s announcement will come on Wednesday or Thursday morning.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
