Confirmed Coronavirus cases in Alabama top 900

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 900 Monday afternoon, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.

According to numbers published Monday afternoon, Bibb not only reported their first case but reported an additional case, Fayette, Hale and Sumter counties reported its first case. Statewide totals have reached 921 cases.

More: First coronavirus-related death reported in Montgomery County

A patient who tested positive for coronavirus has died in Montgomery County, according to Monique Smith, Division D Coordinator of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

Smith said the primary cause of death is still being investigated but has confirmed the death is coronavirus-related.

The Alabama Department of Health will notify Smith after the investigation tomorrow or Wednesday, she said. Smith will then notify Montgomery County-City Emergency Management Director Christina Thornton.

Confirmed coronavirus cases by Alabama county:

Autauga (6)

Baldwin (18)

Bibb (2)

Blount (5)

Bullock (3)

Butler (1)

Calhoun (8)

Chambers (33)

Cherokee (2)

Chilton (10)

Choctaw (2)

Clay (2)

Cleburne (5)

Colbert (4)

Coosa (3)

Covington (2)

Crenshaw (1)

Cullman (8)

Dallas (2)

DeKalb (4)

Elmore (13)

Escambia (1)

Etowah (6)

Fayette (1)

Franklin (3)

Greene (3)

Hale (1)

Houston (9)

Jackson (5)

Jefferson (254)

Lamar (1)

Lauderdale (12)

Lawrence (3)

Lee (71)

Limestone (20)

Lowndes (1)

Macon (1)

Madison (91)

Marengo (4)

Marion (9)

Marshall (7)

Mobile (44)

Monroe (1)

Montgomery (28)

Morgan (18)

Pickens (3)

Pike (4)

Randolph (2)

Russell (1)

St. Clair (14)

Shelby (84)

Sumter (1)

Talladega (6)

Tallapoosa (13)

Tuscaloosa (27)

Walker (31)

Washington (3)

Wilcox (2)

Winston (2)

More: Alabama coronavirus updates: Election monies to be used for sanitizing polling locations, paying workers more

The coronavirus COVID-19 causes flu- and pneumonia-like illnesses in those young and relatively healthy, though some experts caution it is still more dangerous and intense than the average flu for many patients.

But it can be deadly, particularly in those older than 60 or with pre-existing health conditions, and asymptomatic people can still transmit the virus without knowing it, experts say. Alabama doctors and hospital leadership tell the Advertiser that Alabama is not equipped to handle a large influx of cases all at once. Social distancing and isolation measures must be followed, experts say, to "flatten the curve" or spread out the number of infections over a longer period of time. If widespread infections happen too quickly, Alabama will run out of hospital beds and medical equipment.

Experts agree increased isolation and shuttering of everyday public life, if implemented early enough, can help "flatten the curve," or spread the number of new cases out over a longer period of time.

If cases spike too quickly in a short period, American hospitals may become overwhelmed.

Social isolation, where possible, can help slow the rate of transmission and protect individuals at risk of developing serious illness if infected with COVID-19

A data analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found Alabama ranks among the top six most at-risk states for its adult population. The analysis examined state-level health data to determine the percentage of "high-risk" adults, which include all adults over the age of 60, as well as young adults with heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or diabetes.

The data show 46 percent of Alabama adults fall under those categories and are at higher risk of developing serious illness if infected with coronavirus.

Alabama coronavirus cases map

Our Data Central page includes an interactive map that tracks confirmed COVID-19 cases, recoveries, and deaths from around the state, nation, and world.

The map is updated automatically and shows a closeup of each [state] county.

Or, zoom out to see numbers from around the nation and the world.

(Not seeing the map? Click here to get to our interactive Data Central page.)

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 334-318-1798 or KFiscus@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus