Mayor: 36% Of DCH Coronavirus Patients Are Tuscaloosa Residents

Tuscaloosa AL

19 January, 2021

3:59 PM

Description

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Less than 24 hours after DCH Health System reported a new record high for coronavirus inpatients, Mayor Walt Maddox said 36% of the system's patients currently receiving treatment are Tuscaloosa residents. He also pointed out that inpatient numbers at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa have remained flat over the last week, while increased community spreading is resulting in a surge in patients for DCH's locations in Fayette County. Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app. DCH Health System reported 191 total hospitalizations across the system as of Monday, marking the highest daily coronavirus patient count since the start of the pandemic. "The largest jump is coming from Fayette County," Maddox said. "They are seeing the highest number of community spread. Yesterday, when you saw that number, we immediately inquired because it didn't mirror the daily totals that we had seen earlier." As part of his weekly coronavirus update to the City Council on Tuesday, Maddox said trends had improved over the last week as the region seems to be entering a period of stabilization. "We've got positive news, 386 new cases this week," he said. "That number is down and really when you think about two weeks ago being over a thousand … that's the first positive sign we've seen in several weeks but it certainly doesn't move away from the fatality rate we're seeing at DCH and in hospitals across the United States." Talk eventually moved to vaccinations, with the mayor expressing optimism that interest is beginning to pick up among the eligible segments of the city's workforce. As of Tuesday, 107 Tuscaloosa Police Department employees had already gotten the first shot in the two-step process, while one staffer has received their second. For Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, 74 have received the first shot, while 32 have taken the second. In total, 183 of the city's 1,318 employees have at least received the first shot. The vaccine availability also comes at a crucial time when TPD has seen its workforce drastically impacted. However, this week saw some improvement as the department climbed slightly to 73% availability, compared to 67% at this point last week. "We're beginning to see more participation into the vaccines, which I believe is a really good sign," Maddox said. Ryan Phillips is the community publisher for Tuscaloosa Patch. A Tuscaloosa native and graduate of the University of Alabama, Phillips is an award-winning journalist, columnist and editor with previous stops at the Starkville Daily News, Weather.com, the Associated Press, the Birmingham Business Journal and the Anniston Star. To contact Phillips with news tips or advertising inquiries, email [email protected]