DCH Inpatient Virus Total Decreases For Fourth Straight Day

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — DCH Health System on Thursday saw its total number of inpatient COVID-19 cases fall for the fourth day in a row, following a similar trend as the number of new cases statewide also showed some possible signs of improvement this week.

The three-hospital system logged 84 total inpatient cases in its most recent report, which is down from 93 on Wednesday and 105 Tuesday.

Slight gains were also seen in the number of patients being treated in the hospital system's intensive care units (ICUs). Thursday saw the system report 25 patients in its ICUs, down from 27 the day before and an improvement from 28 patients in its ICUs two weeks ago.

One number that has been unchanged for DCH over the last two weeks — apart from small fluctuations — is the patient total as it relates to those on ventilators, which has held at 10.

To date, DCH says 599 total inpatients who tested positive for COVID-19 have been discharged.

The situation may be showing signs of improvement throughout the hospital system, but the number of new positive local cases also seems to have slowed even as Tuscaloosa County topped 4,000 total COVID-19 cases this week. As of Thursday, the county recorded 4,057 total cases, showing 83 new cases since Monday, according to the latest report from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Over the last two weeks, the state health department confirmed 685 new cases for the county.

At the Tuscaloosa City Council's regular meeting on Tuesday, local leaders expressed hope that the city and area might be on the downward end of a surge in new cases due to the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Tuscaloosa County also saw six new virus-related deaths since Monday, bringing the county death toll to 69 confirmed since the onset of the pandemic, two of whom are listed as probable.