DCH COVID-19 Inpatient Total Falls To Double Digits For First Time Since Aug. 9

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System reported a total of 96 inpatients testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, marking the first time the system's number of hospitalizations has fallen below triple digits since Aug. 9.

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Tuesday's data update from the hospital shows a decrease of 38 total inpatients over the last two weeks, which comes in tandem with a wave that will result in September being one of the deadliest months of the pandemic thus far for Tuscaloosa.

Since the last update provided by the hospital, three more people died in the course of the last day after being hospitalized and testing positive for COVID-19. This brings the death toll to 46 in the last two weeks alone and 85 at the hospital for the month of September.

Among the most recent deaths was 25-year-old Austin Benton, who lost his battle with COVID-19 Tuesday morning after nearly a month of fighting the virus and surviving on a ventilator. As Patch reported Tuesday, he leaves behind two girls, ages 1 and 5, and was expecting another child. Sadly, he would become one of 21 individuals to die at DCH Regional Medical Center in the last week after testing positive for the virus and battling complications.

ALSO READ: Northport Mother, 41, Dies After Documenting COVID-19 Experience

When comparing the number of deaths seen during the last major surge from December 2020 on into January, September still lags the overall total, although that statistic is unlikely to provide much solace to the countless individuals mourning the loss of loved ones — just in Tuscaloosa.

But when looking at the daily totals, some reprieve for an overburdened hospital staff at DCH can be seen in the number of new patients tapering off in the last few days, with the hospital logging "five or fewer" on Tuesday.

In another spot of positive news, though, the Alabama Department of Public Health reports that 94,293 Tuscaloosa County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday when the agency published its updated data. In total, ADPH reports 170,029 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Tuscaloosa County to date.

For DCH inpatients, 81% of COVID-19 hospitalizations are individuals who have not been fully vaccinated, in addition to 90% of ICU patients as of Tuesday.

DCH is also reminding the public that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has approved certain groups to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot. Click here to check eligibility or to register for a COVID-19 booster.

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