Jefferson County, the most populous county in Alabama and the home of Birmingham, added 1,200 coronavirus cases so far in July, or 200 cases per day, by far the most among any Alabama county.
The Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed 189 new virus cases in the county on Monday as coronavirus hospitalizations in Birmingham and around the state hit all time highs.
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After watching other, less populous counties take and hold the coronavirus spotlight early in the pandemic, Jefferson County has now become the undeniable epicenter for virus cases in Alabama. Over recent weeks the county has added cases much faster than any other Alabama county has at any point during the pandemic so far.
Up until the end of June, only Montgomery County, which early last month had the state’s worst outbreak at the time, had seen a 7-day average of more than 100 cases per day. Jefferson County’s average is now hovering around 200 cases per day. It hasn’t added fewer than 140 cases in a day in at least nine days, and due to a data reporting error, that number is likely higher.
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The county has now seen 5,410 confirmed cases since March – about 1,250 more than the next closest county. It’s also seen 152 coronavirus deaths – the most in the state.
Coronavirus testing has increased slightly in Jefferson County, but not at the same rate as cases. Since mid May, the percent of tests that have come back positive in Jefferson has risen from 2 percent to 12 percent. The 7-day average for tests performed rose from around 950 to 1,600, but the average for daily new cases rose from around 20 to nearly 200.
Hospitalizations up
Jefferson County, along with the rest of the state, is also seeing a rise in coronavirus-related hospitalizations. UAB hospital announced Monday it was treating 86 in-house patients with confirmed cases of the virus – an all-time high, and 12 more patients than the previous record, set one week prior.
The state health department also reported an all-time high for coronavirus hospitalizations across the state, with more than 1,000 patients currently hospitalized.
More than a third of all patients that have been hospitalized in Alabama since March 13 are currently in the hospital, according to ADPH.
Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Email Ramsey Archibald at rarchibald@al.com, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here.