New Coronavirus Cases Spike At UA Ahead Of Thanksgiving

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — The University of Alabama's Tuscaloosa campus reported a spike in new coronavirus cases among faculty, staff and students on Friday, which comes on the last day of in-person classes and as many students prepare to head home for Thanksgiving.

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According to the UA System's COVID-19 Dashboard, the Tuscaloosa campus saw 115 new cases confirmed among students, marking the first time the number of new positives hit triple digits for a week since the Sept. 11-17 testing period. A total of 27 employees also tested positive over the last week, which is the highest number of new employee cases identified over a single week of testing since the pandemic began.

For cumulative totals, Friday's data shows 2,992 students have tested positive for the coronavirus since the onset, in addition to 369 UA employees.

While the numbers reflect a spike in the spreading of the virus, UA reports that that only six of its 518 isolation spaces are occupied, coming out to 1.16%.

As cases rise on UA's Tuscaloosa campus, the surrounding community is following a trend similar to the rest of the United States.

DCH Health System on Friday reported 11 new COVID-19 inpatients, making it the third straight day with more than 10 new coronavirus patients being admitted to DCH hospitals in Northport and Tuscaloosa. As of 4 p.m. Friday, a total of 61 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 at DCH, with 18 being treated in intensive care units (ICUs).

According to Bamatracker.com, Tuscaloosa County confirmed 69 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the county's cumulative total to 8,727 and 119 confirmed deaths.

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