DCH Reports Most Virus Inpatients Since May Amid Variant Fears

TUSCALOOSA, AL ? DCH Health System on Tuesday reported its highest coronavirus case total since May, as concerns ramp up over the Delta Variant of the coronavirus.

DCH Health System reported a total of 17 inpatients on Tuesday, which is the three-hospital system's highest mark since it reported the same number of cases on May 14. While Tuesday's mark is a far cry from when the hospital reported more than 170 cases in December, officials from the federal to local levels have acknowledged there is much left to be understood about the new variant and its ability to spread quickly through a community.

DCH Vice President of Marketing and Communications Andy North cited an announcement from the Alabama Department of Public Health released earlier this month that reported unvaccinated people represented 96.2% coronavirus deaths in Alabama since April

He then told Patch the Alabama Hospital Association recently conducted a survey of hospitals in the state and found that over 90% of coronavirus-positive inpatients had not been vaccinated.

"COVID-19 vaccines are working," North stressed. "DCH encourages community members to get the vaccine and will continue to stand ready. Should community demand for the COVID-19 vaccine go back up, then DCH will evaluate and respond as needed."

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The news also comes as low demand for the widely-available coronavirus vaccine has prompted hospital officials at DCH to begin moving forward with closing its drive-through vaccination site. As Patch previously reported, the last day individuals will be able to schedule a first vaccine at the mobile site adjacent to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa is next Friday, July 16. The final day vaccines will be administered at the site is Friday, Aug. 6.

According to Tuesday's update from the Alabama Department of Public Health, 164 new cases have been confirmed in Tuscaloosa over the last two weeks through testing, bringing the county's cumulative total ? which includes probable and confirmed cases ? to 26,491 since the pandemic began. Over that time, 314 people have died in the county with a confirmed positive coronavirus diagnosis..

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