Amid Sharp Spike, DCH Says Over 90% Of New Patients Unvaccinated

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System saw its number of coronavirus-positive inpatients climb to its highest mark since February on Monday, as worries persist of a new surge in cases, coupled with a skepticism among many with respect to the widely-available coronavirus vaccine.

In its latest update, DCH reported 17 new cases admitted on Monday alone, which nearly matches the total number of coronavirus-positive inpatients admitted throughout last week, when cases first began to rise. This brings the hospital system's overall number of inpatients to 52, with 13 currently being treated in the system's intensive care units — yet another disturbing high.

"At the moment, we have over 50 COVID-19 positive patients and are working to convert units back to be able to care for them," DCH Health System spokesperson Andy North told Patch on Monday. "Last time we checked, over 90 percent of COVID-19 positive inpatients had not been vaccinated. We are urging community members to get vaccinated."

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Monday's total was the first time Tuscaloosa has topped more than 50 hospitalizations since mid-February, when the area was on the downward slope of a brutal spike around the holidays and New Year.

North then addressed concerns expressed by Patch readers, along with accounts from sources on background, that regular patients not being treated for the coronavirus were being discharged in an expedited fashion to make way for new coronavirus-positive inpatients, the overwhelming majority of whom have not been vaccinated.

"We discharge patients as soon as the attending physician says they are ready to be discharged," North said. "We care for patients without regard to their decision to be vaccinated."

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Despite the noticeable surge in new cases nationwide, local demand for the vaccine continues to be too low for DCH to officially backtrack on plans to close its mobile vaccination site at the beginning of August.

According to Monday's dashboard update from the Alabama Department of Public Health, 4,021 tests have been conducted over the last two weeks in Tuscaloosa County, resulting in 394 confirmed cases added to the county's overall total, which now sits at 17,843 confirmed since the beginning of the pandemic.

The state health department is expected to update vaccination numbers for Tuscaloosa County on Tuesday, with the latest totals showing 64,453 individuals — well short of half the population of the metro area — had finished their coronavirus vaccine series.

DCH Health System, on Monday, reminded the public of a statistic provided by the Alabama Department of Public Health, which shows unvaccinated people represented 96.2% of coronavirus-related deaths in Alabama since April 1.

What's more, the Alabama Hospital Association also reports that 90% of coronavirus positive inpatients had not been vaccinated.

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