Tuscaloosa Hospital Tops Triple-Digit COVID-19 Patients

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System topped triple digits for its coronavirus inpatient total on Monday for the first time since. Feb. 3. As of 3 p.m., the three-hospital system reported 105 total hospitalizations, with 27 patients being treated in the hospital system's ICU.

The new high on Monday is compared to 38 hospitalizations two weeks ago.

On Monday alone, the hospital added 14 new inpatients as worries have been realized of a new surge in local cases and hospitalizations, while demand for the widely available vaccine remains low. At present, the trends remain unchanged, with less than half of the Tuscaloosa County metropolitan area vaccinated, while more than 90% of hospitalizations at DCH are of unvaccinated patients.

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What's more, state and local officials have been hesitant to implement added public health restrictions to combat the spread among the unvaccinated, despite stern masking recommendations for schools and public places from the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At Monday night's meeting of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education, for instance, some parents showed up in opposition to rumored mask requirements, despite the system taking a very public line that it would not be issuing a mandate for students and teachers unless a new directive was issued by Gov. Kay Ivey.

In a message to parents following the meeting, TCSS Superintendent Keri Johnson reiterated to parents that the school system would follow any and all state public health mandates as they are issued.

Conversely, the University of Alabama has issued a temporary mask mandate on its campus ahead of the beginning of the fall semester and a return to in-person learning.

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