BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) – COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen about 20 percent in less than two weeks in Alabama, a trend health officials said Tuesday they monitor but don’t see a sign of another future pandemic crisis.
Alabama Department of Public Health statistics show 362 people were hospitalized Monday for the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Although compared to the 301 patients just 10 days earlier, the total was still only a fraction of the 3,070 patients who pushed the state’s intensive care units to near capacity in mid-January.
The increase in cases is worrying, but does not immediately threaten the state’s health care system, as the number of people treated remains well below levels earlier this year, said Dr. Don Williamson, executive director of the Alabama Hospital Association.
He also said that a major increase in the number of seriously ill patients is not expected, as more and more people are vaccinated and a growing number of patients are young, who tend to cope better than older patients. with health complications.
“It’s nothing dramatic, but it’s something we need to be aware of happening,” said Williamson, who previously served as a state health officer. In the last two weeks, the average daily number of new cases has increased by 163, an increase of about 50%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Scott Harris, who followed Williamson to Public Health, said officials are monitoring the increase in hospitalizations, but are not yet sure. The unevenness follows the spring breaks, the Easter rallies and the end of the mandatory rule of the state’s face mask on April 9, any of which could be a factor.
“The increase in hospitalizations is just a reminder that our most vulnerable people still need to be careful,” he told the Associated Press.
More than 522,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Alabama since the beginning of the pandemic, and nearly 10,800 have died. While about 1.4 million in the state have received at least one dose of vaccine, Alabama is the last nationally in terms of people’s immunization rate.
The vaccine is more plentiful than ever, Williamson said, but several state-run hospitals had immunization schedules available last week “and no one showed up to receive the vaccines.”
“In a significant number of our hospitals, demand is low,” he said. It is unclear whether demand for hospitals has been reduced because photos have been available elsewhere or because large numbers of people are refusing to be vaccinated, Williamson said.
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AP writer Chan Chanler of Montgomery contributed to this report.