DCH Coronavirus Cases Surge; No Children Admitted For COVID-19

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System reported its highest number of coronavirus-positive inpatients since Feb. 14 on Tuesday, logging eight new cases to bring the three-hospital system's overall hospitalization total to 58.

Additionally, the hospital hit another high since spring for coronavirus patients being treated in its intensive care units (ICUs), at 13.

As cases surge to levels not seen the winter, DCH Health System spokesperson Andy North said he has not received any word of new public health recommendations for city and county officials.

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"We tightened the visitation policy yesterday and will continue to evaluate the need for additional measures such as that," North told Patch on Tuesday. While the system on Monday laid out its new visitation guidelines, DCH says no new visitors will be allowed except for extenuating circumstances such as end-of-life events.

Fears of the highly-contagious delta variant continue to be a source for concern, especially concerning reports of children being hospitalized with the virus — marking a departure from the first surges of the virus that saw it have little effect on children.

North confirmed to Patch that, as of Tuesday, no children under 18 years old were being treated for the coronavirus at DCH on an inpatient basis.

He then lamented the low demand for the vaccine, as hospital officials still plan to close the mobile vaccination site at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa in early August. Despite the low numbers, DCH has been quick to point out — as recently as Monday — that more than 90% of its new patients admitted for the virus had not been vaccinated.

Patch reported on Tuesday that 1,858 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Tuscaloosa County since last Thursday, which includes 459 residents who completed their vaccination series over this time. Despite officials urging the public to put their trust in the vaccine, skepticism abounds as more than half of the Tuscaloosa metropolitan area's population remains unvaccinated.

According to the state health department, Tuscaloosa County added 39 cases to its confirmed total on Tuesday, bringing the number of confirmed cases identified since the beginning of the pandemic to 17,882, with another 8,959 classified as probable.

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