ADPH COVID-19 Update

 
COVID-19 Update
Alabama Department of Public Health
July 15, 2021

Getting COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of Alabamians as quickly as possible is our goal.
COVID-19 Cases—557,578
COVID-19 Deaths—11,439
Currently eligible for vaccine—everyone 12 years of age and older
Vaccine Doses Administered—3,329,274
Vaccine Doses Delivered to Alabama—4,686,975
Alabama Healthcare Providers Enrolled—1,387

Alabama’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard to Update Daily
The COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard will begin updating daily starting today. All four COVID-19 dashboard can be accessed via the Alabama COVID-19 Dashboard Hub located here: arcg.is/0brSGj 

Variants of SARS-CoV-2
Variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to circulate in Alabama and pose a significant threat of increased disease. Variants of Concern reported, as of July 9, are Alpha (820 cases), Beta (2 cases), Gamma (31 cases), and Delta (56 cases). These variants are more transmissible, specifically the Alpha and the Delta, and some variants have less response to treatments such as monoclonal antibodies.

Percent Positivity Escalates
Alabama’s current statewide percent positivity for COVID-19 has increased to its highest level since February 2021, 7.7 percent. This is equal to the percent positivity recorded April 3, 2021, when vaccines had not been readily available.

Percent Increase in COVID-19 Cases
The number of COVID-19 cases reported in Alabama has risen 39% from June 26, 2021, to July 9, 2021. The best way to prevent getting the highly infectious and easily transmissible Delta variant or any other strain of COVID-19 is to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. The vaccines we have are highly effective and their benefits far outweigh any risks.Only a very small percentage of deaths due to COVID-19 are among the fully vaccinated population.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations Increase
As of July 14, 2021, 341 persons were reported hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 disease. On July 3, 2021, 179 persons were hospitalized due to COVID-19. Increases in numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are the result of low vaccine rates and unvaccinated persons not following preventive measures for themselves such as wearing masks, good hand hygiene, and social distancing.  So long as Alabama has such low rates of vaccination, cases will continue to rise, posing risk of illness and death from COVID-19, as well as threatening the ability of our healthcare system to treat all Alabamians.

Make Vaccination a Priority
This July 14th, 4,124 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the state. At the height of vaccine administration on April 8, 45,128 vaccine doses were given. Young people and others who are taking a wait-and-see stance on vaccination should be aware that they need to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities by getting vaccinated as soon as they can. Safe, effective, and free vaccine shields vulnerable people and saves lives. 

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