Tuscaloosa Adds 107 New Coronavirus Cases, Most Since Sept. 30

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Tuscaloosa County saw a spike in new coronavirus cases on Friday, marking the highest single-day new case total since late September, as new cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to surge across the country.

According to BamaTracker.com, an independent online data aggregator that is widely used across Alabama, Tuscaloosa County confirmed 107 new COVID-19 cases Friday, as the state confirmed 2,262 new cases, breaking Alabama's record for new cases in a single day.

Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app.

Tuscaloosa's 107 cases is also the most new cases confirmed in a day since Sept. 30, when the county saw 177 reported. In total, Tuscaloosa is now up to 8,243 cumulative cases confirmed since the beginning of the pandemic, in addition to 118 confirmed deaths.

Examining historical data shows Friday's spike represents only the fourth time since the onset of the pandemic that Tuscaloosa County saw its daily case total top triple-digits. The county's 7-day average currently sits at 51.43 cases per day due to the surge in confirmations, with averages staying in the high-30s and low-40s for the previous week.

On Thursday, DCH Health System reported 68 total inpatient COVID-19 cases at its hospitals in Tuscaloosa and Northport. While hospitalizations have seen a sustained rise over the last week, Thursday's total marked the first time the total fell since Nov. 6.

Anecdotally, treatment and duration of stay for those hospitalized with the virus has ranged, but DCH mentioned one patient who had been in the hospital for 36 days, before being released to a rehabilitation facility on Thursday. The patient was met with cheers from hospital staff as he left DCH, providing a seemingly small, but important, victory for the hospital system.

Local officials and experts alike have pointed to the likelihood that community spreading of the virus, as opposed to institutional spreading, can be cited as the cause for a sharp rise in new cases and hospitalizations.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox on Tuesday pointed out that the city's workforce position remains strong, despite some concern for Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, which the mayor said was primarily isolated to one station, with 10 employees total out on leave this week. In total, 16 city employees were on leave due to COVID-19 positivity or exposure, representing 1.21% of the city's workforce.

Patch also reported this week that cases have drastically risen in the Tuscaloosa County School System. Administrators pointed to gatherings such as homecoming parties and Halloween parties as the source for the spread, saying it does not appear students or employees are contracting the virus at school.

At the University of Alabama, new cases have remained low in recent weeks, but did see a rise during the last week of testing as 77 new cases were identified among students — the most since Sept. 11-17, when the Tuscaloosa campus saw 119 new cases confirmed.

UA also saw 24 employees test positive during this time, which is the second-highest number of new cases among faculty and staff confirmed over a week since testing began. What's more, it represents a second straight week with more than 20 cases identified among employees.

In terms of testing, BamaTracker.com reports that 84,672 total tests have been conducted in Tuscaloosa County since the data was first collected and published.

Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter. You can also download the Patch mobile app, free for Apple and Android mobile devices.