Tuscaloosa Tops Triple-Digit COVID-19 Hospitalizations For First Time Since September

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System reported a total of 116 inpatients testing positive for the coronavirus on Monday, which marks the highest single-day total for the Tuscaloosa health care provider since Sept. 26, 2021.

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The news come amid a sharp rise in the virus locally, statewide and across the nation due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus, which has seen infections and hospitalizations rise even among those who are fully vaccinated.

At present, 42% of those receiving inpatient care at DCH are fully vaccinated.

In Monday's report, alone, DCH added 29 new COVID-19 inpatients in the last 24 hours, underscoring the surge facing hospitals all over the country at present.

What's more, DCH also said 15 patients are being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit, with eight receiving treatment via ventilator. Of those patients, 14 are unvaccinated or have not completed their COVID-19 vaccination series.

COVID-19 deaths are on the rise as well — six in the last week for DCH — bringing the total number to 794 inpatients who have died at the Tuscaloosa hospital after testing positive for the virus. Data from the Alabama Department of Public Health shows that at least three of those deaths were Tuscaloosa County residents.

To date, Tuscaloosa County has seen 45,186 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with nearly 3,000 new cases identified just in the last week.

Despite the high number of breakthrough cases for those who have been vaccinated, public health officials still stress that the widely-available vaccine is the best way to prevent acute symptoms that could result in hospitalization.

As of Monday, ADPH reports that 217,946 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Tuscaloosa County, with 88,858 individuals completing their vaccination series.

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