The latest numbers on coronavirus cases in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has updated its case count to include 131,988 cases, in addition to 16,487 hospitalizations, and 2,304 deaths connected to the virus since the pandemic first began.

Of the final count, the ADPH cited 14,596 probable COVID-19 cases that have yet to be confirmed in addition to 153 deaths that could possibly be attributed to complications caused by the virus.

According to the ADPH, all 67 counties have confirmed positive coronavirus cases. Jefferson County has the highest number of coronavirus cases with 18,408 cases. Mobile County has the second-highest number with 12,778 and Montgomery County has 8,406 cases.

The ADPH stated that approximately 1,065,553* people have been tested. And in the last two weeks, the department reports roughly 9,476 coronavirus cases. In a new feature on the dashboard, the ADPH cites 61,232 presumed recoveries. This number will be updated weekly, according to the website.

ADPH is updating the confirmed cases up to the minute and case numbers may change according to its database. The first confirmed death was reported by the Jackson County Commission on March 25.

The rising number of cases over the past couple of weeks has caused many parts of Alabama’s economic engine to either partially or totally close. Public schools are closed for the remainder of the year, with students transitioning to online learning on April 6.

The latest coronavirus numbers come at a time when the state has taken very lengthy measures to keep people safe. On April 3, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statewide stay-at-home health order that went into effect at 5 p.m. on April 5.

On March 19, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statewide health order to better contain the virus.

“Despite our best efforts, the threat of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread and, unfortunately, we have not yet reached peak impact,” Ivey said in a statement regarding the health order. “The decision to place regulations upon Alabamians living in Jefferson County and its surrounding counties was an effort to contain the area in which the virus has been prevalent in our state.”

That same day, the Jefferson County Department of Health announced their own health order regarding businesses in the area to keep crowds from gathering, mirrored by similar moves by other parts of the country. The JCDH has since loosened its restrictions as the numbers of cases in the county have gone done.

*Total tested primarily represents tests that were satisfactorily performed by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL), along with some data from commercial labs. Commercial labs are required, by law, to report positive tests to ADPH. Some commercial labs do not report negative specimens.



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