Tuscaloosa In 'Cautionary Season' As COVID-19 Cases Surge: Mayor

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Mayor Walt Maddox says Tuscaloosa has entered a "cautionary season" as new coronavirus cases and local hospitalizations surge to levels not seen since a spike in late July and early August. The overall uptick also originated ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, which presents an added stressor for many as public health officials across the country warn of an inevitable jump in new cases in the coming weeks.

QUICK FACTS

• DCH reported adding 13 new coronavirus hospitalizations Tuesday, but saw its day-to-day total decrease from 91 to 89. However, 52 new inpatient cases have been admitted over the last three days.
• The Alabama Department of Public Health reported Tuscaloosa County added 93 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, with the high statewide numbers attributed to a delay in testing due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
• More than 100 Tuscaloosa firefighters and police officers are currently on leave after testing positive for coronavirus or coming into direct contact with a positive case.
• Mayor says the Iron Bowl saw an expected influx of people visit Tuscaloosa, but the number of incidents and citations were not at the level of other high-profile games this season.

"I think we’re in a very precarious stage in this journey with COVID-19," Maddox told Patch in a phone interview on Tuesday. "When we’ve had very high numbers of cases, they’ve normally been after a holiday, similar to post-Memorial Day, post-July Fourth. In this particular case, our increase in numbers came prior to a holiday, so I'm worried about taking the community spread and you get the multiplier effect of a holiday. What does that mean for Tuscaloosa?"

Experts agree implications from holiday travel and gatherings will not be truly felt until two to three weeks from now, with a surge expected just before the Christmas holidays. On Tuesday, DCH Health System reported adding 13 new inpatient cases — 52 in the last three days alone. Tuesday's update from DCH brings the system's cumulative total to 89 at its hospitals in Northport and Tuscaloosa, which is down from 91 inpatients reported on Monday.

Patch was told on Monday that DCH recently brought more staff in to handle any possible strain and converted a meeting area into a treatment space for observation patients, adding special air scrubbers. DCH also said it is modifying rooms to quickly convert to negative pressure as needed.

It isn't quite clear exactly how many new coronavirus cases were confirmed to begin the week in Tuscaloosa and across the state, as the Alabama Department of Public Health reported that noticeably sharp increases in new cases and deaths in Tuesday's numbers are the result of delays in reporting due to the holiday weekend.

As of the publication of this story, Tuscaloosa County had a cumulative case total of 9,476, adding 93 in Tuesday's ADPH update. The death toll in Tuscaloosa County currently sits at 121.

Maddox did express optimism in the fact that the local population will dramatically decrease as thousands of University of Alabama students leave the area for winter break, but said the sustained community spread of the virus continues to be a cause for concern.

Public health officials have previously cited the concept of "COVID fatigue" as a contributing to factor to the virus spreading outside of normal institutions, as some purposely disregard recommended guidelines after being frustrated with protracted mandates.

"I don’t have anything quantitative to say and point to that fatigue is part of the calculus, but I know personally I’ve grown weary at times and you may let your guard down," he said. "The thing that seems ever-present with this is the aerosol [or airborne] transmission, which I believe just reinforces the fact that wearing the mask can help mitigate the spread of the virus."

While institutional spreading at nursing homes and longterm care facilities have been at a minimum during the most recent wave, Maddox said one major instance could change the entire dynamic and approach.

"I do believe we are in a very manageable situation, but my fear is that when you have 80-90 cases [in hospitals] without an institutional spread," he said. "If we were to get that, then that puts us into a very negative space and that's where you begin to worry."

In monitoring the local hospital system, Maddox and city officials have repeatedly cited a threshold of concern when DCH reaches 60 inpatient cases, which the mayor said is used as a barometer for judging not only the spread of the virus in the community, but the spreading that results in area facilities logging new hospitalizations.

"Over the last two weeks, we have been far and above that, which to us raises concerns," he said. "I do think we’re in a very cautionary season and we need to pay attention to it because looking at other communities and being in briefings over last several months, you tend to go from a manageable situation to a risky situation if you have one or two institutional spreads on top of what we’re seeing with community spreads. It can put you in a very dangerous place."

The city's workforce has also been drastically impacted, primarily within Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue and the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Maddox said, at present, over 100 police officers and firefighters have either tested positive for the coronavirus or are having to quarantine due to direct exposure.

"Manpower is an issue, especially within public safety and we may have to make some changes over the next days to ensure that we can continue to provide the type of service the people of Tuscaloosa expect and deserve," he said.

As of Wednesday, the Tuscaloosa Police Department had 33 employees on leave due to testing positive or direct exposure to a positive case.

Those changes could include adjustments to shift hours and shift days, but Maddox expressed a hope that the city will not have to go to those lengths.

The concern over a spike in cases also brings with it additional worries from struggling business owners over the possibility of further regulations or shutdowns that could represent a death knell for many, especially as talks of another coronavirus relief package stagnate on Capitol Hill.

When asked about the possibility of policy changes as new cases rise, Maddox said two things would weigh heavily on the city taking decisive action as it relates to closing down the city or certain areas of its economy: The stability of DCH Health System and if the University of Alabama reached a point where it could no longer have in-person instruction on campus.

Maddox was quick to point out that neither hypothetical was imminent and mentioned the city's decision in August at the request of the university to temporarily shut down bars as more than 800 new cases were confirmed on the Tuscaloosa campus in the initial weeks that saw the return of students to the classroom. Patch previously reported that the decision was made in an effort to protect the area's healthcare system and workforce, in addition to preserving in-person instruction on campus and, by extension, the local businesses dependent on students.

"If it was similar to what occurred in late August, if the university reached a situation where we could no longer have students on campus and in our city," he said. "Because there’s been the economic impact of thousands upon thousands of people losing their jobs. I don’t believe we are close to that situation."

Nothing is off the table at any level, though, as the situation changes by the hour, but Maddox said based on what city officials know today, there doesn't seem to be any immediate indication of changes on the way to existing mandates from Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board.

"If the state were to back away from the mask ordinance or back away from certain ABC guidelines, the city could come back and layer its own, depending upon our situation," he said.

Another talking point could be seen with the Iron Bowl on Saturday, which brought an expected influx of college football fans to Tuscaloosa, albeit much smaller in numbers than years past due to limitations on stadium attendance and indoor gatherings.

Maddox said even with the best of intentions and sweeping precautions in place, the city did acknowledge the big rivalry weekend as another challenge in tandem with Thanksgiving when it comes to attempts at mitigating the local spread of the virus.

"We will know in two or three weeks what that [impact] will be," he said. "Based off the reports I received every morning, there really weren't any huge spikes [in citations] or major issues. You had flare ups of house parties, but it wasn’t anything we haven’t seen and, if anything, it was less than what we saw with Georgia and Texas A&M."

As Maddox and other officials monitor the situation at DCH and the spread in the community going into the coming weeks and months, the mayor stressed individual accountability due to an expected increase in other typical seasonal illnesses.

"I believe, more than ever, getting into December and January, we have to be ever-vigilant," he said. "Because of it being fall and winter conditions, the fact is there is going to be more cold and more viruses and that, in and of it itself, can create the opportunity for spread of the coronavirus. Although it's a very precarious time, it's one we’re ready to manage. Really, the individual is going to be more powerful in combatting the coronavirus than anything state or federal governments can do."

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