Coronavirus Case Total In Jefferson County Nears 900

BIRMINGHAM, AL — While the new coronavirus continues to spread in Alabama — the state case total topped 7,000 Thursday — the state's most populous county has shown at least a brief trend of slowing down the spread of the virus.

Jefferson County posted just 16 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, which is a positive sign considering that the governor's stay-at-home order expires Thursday at 5 p.m. Jefferson County's case total reached 886 Thursday, with 1,057 cases (47 more than Wednesday's total for the county).

In all, Alabama has confirmed 7,019 cases of the coronavirus. The Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed 162 new cases in the state Wednesday. The ADPH has reported 269 deaths from the virus, with 978 patients hospitalized statewide.

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In an effort to increase COVID-19 testing into the Birmingham area's underserved communities, UAB Medicine in coordination with the Jefferson County Unified Incident Command is implementing mobile testing in Jefferson County. Testing began in western Birmingham on Thursday and will continue in Center Point on Friday. The Jefferson County Department of Health is covering the cost of the testing for Jefferson County residents who do not have health insurance.

"We are excited to be joining so many area organizations to provide an opportunity for access to testing in areas around Jefferson County," said Dr. Mark Wilson, Health Officer of the JCDH and co-commander of the county's Unified Incident Command. "As many now know, based on testing difficulties around the United States, the biggest barrier to expanding testing to date has been access to the supplies, both the swabs and reagents, and the lab platforms that run the test. While access to those key supplies needed to expand testing remain key obstacles, we are glad to be at a point where we can safely provide additional options to the residents of our county in their local communities."

The counties with the most cases as of Thursday afternoon:

• Mobile County: 1,057 confirmed cases; 7,320 total tests; 53 deaths
• Jefferson County: 886 confirmed cases; 14,358 total tests; 46 deaths
• Lee County: 394 confirmed cases; 2,809 total tests; 29 deaths
• Montgomery County: 328 confirmed cases; 2,604 total tests; 6 deaths
• Shelby County: 320 confirmed cases; 3,772 total tests; 12 deaths

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