Coronavirus Expected To Peak In Alabama April 20

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The number of coronavirus cases in Alabama keeps rising, but thus far this week, the number has increased at a slightly lower daily rate than last week. Researchers have said the number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in Alabama will reach its peak April 20.

In an interview with WBHM Thursday, UAB's Dr. Sarah Nafziger, an emergency physician and co-director of UAB Hospital’s Emergency Management Committee, discussed what to expect when the case number starts to level off.

"There was one point in time where it really looked like our peak might be a lot higher than we now think that it will be," Nafziger said in her interview with WBHM's Gigi Douban. "At one point, we thought that we would be in a dire shortage of ICU beds and we spent a good deal of time planning for that. A lot of things have changed since that time, primarily related to social distancing measures that have been implemented widespread in our state. Because of the social distancing measures, we think we’ve been effectively able to flatten the curve, if you will, and reduce the numbers of patients that we’ll see it our our near peak that we predict next week. So for us, we’re right now things are looking pretty good."

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Alabama. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

In Alabama, more than 4,300 cases have been confirmed by the state, with 133 reported deaths (82 listed as "died from illness"). As of Thursday afternoon, there were 553 hospitalizations related to the coronavirus.

While Nafziger is optimistic about the number of COVID-19 patients decreasing, she said some issues still concern her regarding what is to come.

"There are a lot of things keeping me up at night right now, but I think the most common theme for me has been our shortage of PPE, because that’s something that we really can’t control," Nafziger said. "I can’t just go down to the store and buy a whole bunch of PPE right now. In the end, I think that has been the thing that keeps me up the most at night, because not only could that lead to a problem with our patients, but also, you know, I don’t want any of our staff to become infected and ill. And to be honest with you, that’s the thing that keeps me up the most at night, not only worrying about the lives of our patients, but the lives of our employees."

Nafziger said when the curve is flattened in Alabama, so to speak, that does not mean the coronavirus is going away.

"We learn new things to do to operate better and more efficiently and more safely," she said. "And we implement those changes and a lot of those things we end up holding onto for long-term purposes. So I think after our peak next week COVID-19 is not going to just go away. We’re going to continue to see cases. We’re going to probably see what I refer to as micro surges or hotspots of cases that outbreak in different areas."

She added that when the state starts to re-open, some of the same precaustions taken now will need to continue.

"We’re going to have to continue to be careful," Nafziger said. "We’re going to have to have sanitation, you know, washing our hands, keeping our distance from people. That’s going to have to continue or we’re going to be right back to where we started and worried about that massive surge that overwhelms all the hospitals capacities."

Listen to the full interview with WBHM here.

SEE ALSO:

• 22 Coronavirus Deaths Reported In Jefferson County
• UAB Nurses Find New Ways To Care For Patients, Families During Coronavirus
• How To Track Your Coronavirus Stimulus Payment