Four patients at Anniston’s Regional Medical Center died of COVID-19 over a 24 hour period Monday and Tuesday. All four were reportedly unvaccinated and they ranged in age from late-50’s to mid-70’s.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health only one-in-three residents of Calhoun County have received a single dose of vaccine and only 28% have completed the series of shots.
A month ago, there were around 200 people in Alabama hospitals with COVID-19 – as of Tuesday there were 1,694; that’s more than the state saw hospitalized at any point during the first wave of COVID infections in 2020. The total count of COVID patients at RMC on Tuesday was 32.
Experts report that patients now seem to be getting sicker, faster. Doctors maintain that the current surge is entirely preventable. Those vaccines are FREE – and remain widely available. The latest ADPH figures do show an increase in new vaccinations in Alabama over the past two weeks
In Calhoun County, the official death toll stands at 334 – and that number reflects two people who died of the disease last week but doesn’t yet reflect the four latest deaths. At this point the Anniston City School System is the only one inside of Calhoun County with a clearly announced mask mandate. The ADPH earlier in the week released the latest round of recommendations for schools, including universal mask use.
State legislators earlier this year passed a law that blocks schools from requiring any vaccination against COVID-19.
(AL.COM/www.al.com)