More than 27.5 percent of COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County have been confirmed in the past seven days, according to the latest data from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
To date, Jefferson County has had 4,802 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to new numbers released by ADPH on Friday morning. Of those cases, 1,321 were added last week, far more than any other county.
Jefferson’s weekly count is more than double that of Mobile County, which added 633 cases, and more than triple that of Montgomery County, which has seen 426 new cases in the past seven days. Mobile and Montgomery Counties, although both significantly less populated than Jefferson County, the most populous county in the state and home to its largest city, Birmingham, have been considered more critical hotspots than Jefferson County in different points since the coronavirus arrived in Alabama.
Jefferson County and Birmingham were quicker to institute business and mask rules in the early days of the pandemic. But those rules were loosened as case numbers fell in the county. Birmingham and Jefferson County recently reinstated the mask and other measures requirements, but the county’s case count has still soared in recent days as infection confirmations have been delayed due to the COVID-19 incubation period. .
Friday’s ADPH data shows Alabama experienced a record daily increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, to 1,758. The new total number of confirmed cases statewide is 41,362. The 7-day new case average is now 1,092, also a record. Hospitalizations also reached a new peak, with 843.
Confirmed deaths from COVID-19 increased 22 from yesterday to 983. ADPH reported that 430,128 people have been tested for the virus. To date, 22,082 people have recovered from the virus in Alabama.
