Alabama Coronavirus Cases Approach 6,500; Deaths at 222

MONTGOMERY, AL — As residents and cities await further details for how — and when —Alabama will reopen its economy, the state is reporting the newest figures on coronavirus cases amid a burst of thousands of tests.

As of Tuesday, Alabama recorded 6,499 cases and 222 deaths from the new coronavirus, while nearly 74,000 tests for coronavirus have been administered to date. On Tuesday, Governor Key Ivey is expected to announce a timeline for reopening the state, a development that marks a change from her April 21 news conference in which she urged patience and noted that less than 1 percent of Alabama's population had been tested for coronavirus at the time.

The situation is different now. Roughly 20,000 more tests were conducted over the weekend.

Two counties, Mobile and Jefferson, remain the top coronavirus hotspots in Alabama, although Jefferson has outpaced Mobile in terms of tests: Mobile reports 930 confirmed cases, 42 deaths and 6,621 tests. Jefferson recorded 842 cases, 34 deaths and 12,949 tests.

For more data, check out the state's COVID-19 dashboard maintained by the Alabama Department of Public Health.