August 21,2021 - A Record-Setting Day

A Record-Setting Day

August 21, 2021

A defining feature of this pandemic is its unpredictability. After 4,465 cases on Wednesday, ADPH reported 3,891 more cases on Thursday and 3,799 on Friday, teasing the possibility of an improving trend. That hope unraveled, however, as ADPH reported 6,210 more cases today, demolishing the prior single-day record of 5,498 cases on January 5. The 7-day moving average is now 4,549 cases per day, the highest 7-day average of the pandemic (surpassing the prior record 7-day average of 4,280 cases per day, set on January 10). 

Although counties bordering Florida and the coast remain the epicenter of the Delta surge, the situation is worsening further north. In the Black Belt (e.g. Dallas, Marengo, Conecuh counties) daily cases have doubled compared to 14 days ago. In the counties surrounding Montgomery, daily cases are up 50%, while in those surrounding Birmingham, cases are up over 25%. 

There are 2,693 confirmed patients in 100 reporting hospitals (26.9 patients per hospital). On Friday, Alabama ranked 2nd in per capita hospitalizations (behind only Florida), with 60 patients per 100K population, or 89% of the January peak. South Alabama hospitals have been overrun for weeks, but north Alabama is quickly catching up. Of the 10 counties with the fastest growing patient populations, 7 are located north of Birmingham and all of them have seen increases of 168% or more in the last 14 days (3rd-ranked Cullman County, whose hospitalizations have increased 218%, is hosting a Trump rally tonight).

This Delta surge has been especially hard on children. Between August 1 and August 18, children accounted for 8,462 cases in Alabama, more than 4 times the number (1,831) over the same period in 2020. On Thursday, a record 50 children were hospitalized with Covid across the State, 9 on ventilators. According to Dr. Scott Harris, the State Health Officer, Alabama now has the nation’s highest rate of pediatric hospitalizations. 

In his weekly press briefing, Dr. Harris said Alabama’s healthcare workers are exhausted and distraught because they know that vaccinations would have prevented so much of the suffering. At UAB Hospital, record numbers of pregnant women - 39 of them - have been admitted with Covid, all unvaccinated. Ten of them are in intensive care and 7 are on ventilators.

So, where are we on vaccinations? In the last week, an average of 17,800 doses per day were administered, a 50% increase over the week before. Alabama has administered at least one dose to 55.7% of the eligible 12 and older population and 47.5% of the state’s entire population. Approximately 36.1% of the State’s population is fully vaccinated. Although it’s an improvement, we still have such a long way to go. The totals:

8/7  -  3,891

8/9  -  4,877

8/10 - 3,815

8/11 - 3,851

8/12 - 4,167

8/13 - 3,986

8/15 - 6,992

8/16 - 2,466 

8/17 - 4,023

8/18 - 4,465

8/19 - 3,891

8/20 - 3,799

8/21 - 6,210