The number of reported deaths in Alabama attributed to the COVID-19 virus has almost doubled in the past nine days, but that’s a slight improvement over numbers from earlier in April.

The BirminghamWatch weekly analysis of data from the Alabama Department of Health’s daily reports shows that the total reported deaths surpassed 200 for the first time Wednesday. The total of 201 was almost twice what was reported nine days prior, when 102 deaths were reported on April 13. That number was double the 50 deaths reported April 7, seven days beforehand, so the rate of doubling is slowing down.

The number of people who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus stands at 5,610 as of Wednesday, which is 11.6% of 48,387 people tested so far.

Jefferson County jumped back to the top of the list for cases late Wednesday with 774, up from 628 the week ending April 15.

Mobile County is second with 759, compared to 561 the previous week. But it still tops the state in deaths, with 39 reported deaths, compared to 31 for Jefferson.

Lee County added nine more deaths this week to stand at 21, with a total of 331 cases. Tallapoosa County more than doubled its total deaths, from seven to 16, with 242 cases. Chambers County also has 16 deaths, up by six from last week, and 270 cases; Etowah County remained at eight deaths and rose to 116 cases; and Shelby stayed at seven reported deaths although it had 278 cases.

Madison County has four deaths, the same number as last week, and added seven cases this week, bringing the infection number to 205.

Tuscaloosa County added eight cases this week, for a total of 165, and reported its first death.

 

Twenty-eight of Alabama’s 67 counties have yet to report a death traced to the virus, including St. Clair and Walker counties in the Birmingham metro area. Eight counties have 10 or fewer cases, with Fayette County reporting just four.

Alabama’s incidence rate is 119.64 cases per 100,000 population, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Chambers County has the highest rate with 811.9 per 100,000. Jefferson County’s incidence rate stands at 113.0 per 100,000.

The highest county fatality rate — the number of those who die from COVID-19 as a percentage of the number of cases — is in Clarke County, with a rate of 4%; one person has died out of 25 cases in the county. Talladega, DeKalb, Lowndes and Calhoun counties have fatality rates above 3%.

The current cases, reported deaths and confirmed deaths by county, from ADPH state data late Wednesday night:

Autauga				32			2	1
Baldwin				132			3	3
Barbour				29			0	0
Bibb				34			0	0
Blount				29			0	0
Bullock				11			0	0
Butler				17			0	0
Calhoun				85			3	3
Chambers				270			16	16
Cherokee				13			0	0
Chilton				46			1	0
Choctaw				21			0	0
Clarke				25			1	1
Clay				19			0	0
Cleburne				12			1	1
Coffee				73			1	0
Colbert				20			1	1
Conecuh				9			0	0
Coosa				24			1	1
Covington				27			0	0
Crenshaw				6			0	0
Cullman				44			0	0
Dale				22			0	0
Dallas				30			2	2
DeKalb				58			2	2
Elmore				74			1	1
Escambia				18			1	1
Etowah				116			8	8
Fayette				4			0	0
Franklin				22			0	0
Geneva				5			0	0
Greene				40			0	0
Hale				36			1	1
Henry				20			0	0
Houston				75			3	3
Jackson				42			2	2
Jefferson				744			31	30
Lamar				8			0	0
Lauderdale				25			3	3
Lawrence				12			0	0
Lee				331			21	16
Limestone				38			0	0
Lowndes				32			1	0
Macon				27			2	2
Madison				205			4	4
Marengo				40			3	2
Marion				65			5	5
Marshall				241			4	4
Mobile				759			39	33
Monroe				9			1	1
Montgomery				253			3	3
Morgan				50			0	0
Perry				9			0	0
Pickens				44			1	1
Pike				53			0	0
Randolph				60			4	3
Russell				52			0	0
St. Clair				62			0	0
Shelby				278			7	6
Sumter				46			1	0
Talladega				52			2	2
Tallapoosa				242			16	14
Tuscaloosa				165			1	0
Walker				90			0	0
Washington				18			1	1
Wilcox				50			1	1
Winston				10			0	0
Unknown or Out of State				N/A			N/A	N/A
	Cases: 5610	Tested: 48387