Nearly 400 health care workers and 90 long-term care facility employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The Alabama Department of Public Health said Thursday that at least 393 health care workers, 90 long-term care facility employees and 65 long-term care facility residents have tested positive. Health care workers includes those who work at hospitals or doctor’s offices.
As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, the state had confirmed 2,700 cases of the virus. At least 70 people have died after testing positive for the virus in Alabama, of those 48 have been fully investigated and verified by ADPH epidemiologists.
The number of confirmed cases among health care workers has grown significantly this week. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday at a press conference that 200 health care workers in the state had contracted COVID-19. By Tuesday, that number increased to 315.
The number of long-term care facility residents has increased from 51 on Tuesday to 65 now, adding to concerns that the virus is widespread among the state’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities, which are considered extremely vulnerable to the virus.
At least 62.5 percent of the 48 verified deaths have been among those 65 years old or older.
At least 333 people have been hospitalized with the virus in Alabama since March 13, but the number is surely higher because of delays in investigating each case. Of those who have been hospitalized, 153 have required treatment in an intensive care unit and of those, 101 have required mechanical ventilation.
Nurses, doctors, hospitals and the Alabama Department of Public Health have said that a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment has not spared Alabama.
Alabama Hospital Association President Dr. Donald Williamson told APR Tuesday that some hospitals in the state have severe shortages of N95 masks, with some hospitals reporting that they have only a days of supplies left.
So far, he said, no hospitals have run out of supplies yet, but some have had to take serious measures to conserve their masks.
State Health Officer Scott Harris told APR Thursday that the state is being bombarded with fake offers to provide PPE, mainly from foreign companies claiming to be able to supply the state.
Harris said the state has been able to identify supply to help support hospitals who are trying to source their own, too, but the costs are exorbitant.
“You know, you would normally pay 60 or 70 cents for a mask,” Harris said. “These offers are typically $5 or $6 per mask now. I’ve seen some are asking for $10 or whatever, which is truly outrageous.”
