Coronavirus

Alabama’s Daily COVID Case Count Drops by 70% During Past Month

Coronavirus illustration. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The average number of new COVID-19 cases per day has fallen by about 70% over the past month as the vaccination rate has grown, according to Friday’s update by the state Department of Public Health.

There were 1,048 new cases on Friday, raising the total to 806,560 since the pandemic began in March 2020. The state has averaged 1,177 new cases a day during the past week — about 70% lower than the weekly average of 3,962 cases on Sept. 8.

Figures compiled by The New York Times show that, through Thursday, 53% of adults in Alabama had received at least one dose of one of the COVID vaccines, and 43% were full vaccinated. Less than one-third of Alabamians were fully vaccinated during the summer. Alabama has moved up from last among the states in vaccination rates to fourth from the bottom.

ADPH reported 81 new deaths in Friday’s update. There have been 14,756 deaths attributed to the coronavirus through the course of the pandemic. Alabama’s seven-day average is 52 deaths a day, compared to 67 one week ago. There is a lag of about two weeks in reporting deaths and confirming them as being from COVID.

There were 1,040 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the state on Thursday, including 21 pediatric patients. The Alabama Hospital Association said 1,409 of the state’s 1,544 staffed ICU beds were occupied, 28% because of COVID.