UAB Hospital set a record Monday morning when it reported 207 COVID inpatients. That is the first time the facility has surpassed the 200 mark, and it’s nearly triple the number reported in mid-November.

There’s no set number for the maximum COVID patients the hospital can handle, UAB spokesman Adam Pope said. In particular, the intensive care unit capacity can be adjusted up and down to a certain extent to meet needs as they arise.

Across the state, the number of hospitalized COVID patients reached another new high, with 2,802 beds occupied as of midday Monday. Since Christmas Day, the COVID-19 inpatient count has jumped 16.6%.

At UAB Hospital, the total has jumped 13.1% since Christmas.

The increases come as vaccines for COVID-19 make their way through the nation’s health care system, with those most vulnerable — including most health care workers — getting the first inoculations.

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported this morning that the state now has had 347,897 cases of COVID-19, an increase so far of 5,828 cases since Christmas Eve. However, the department has warned that reporting of cases would be spotty over the holiday.