As cases continue to increase in Lee County and across the nation, East Alabama Health reported an all-time high in COVID-19 hospitalizations of 96 at East Alabama Medical Center or EAMC-Lanier on Monday. This figure surpasses the previous all-time high of 93 COVID-19 hospitalizations from Sept. 4, 2021.
Though hospitalization rates have increased, ventilator usage has stayed relatively low. During the previous peak, 23 COVID-19 patients were on ventilators — which grew to 26 by Sept. 9.
On Monday, though, only eight COVID-19 patients were on ventilators. Seven of them are unvaccinated.
John Atkinson, spokesperson for EAH, said individuals ages 50 and older "continue to be the population most in need of hospitalization."
75 of the 96 patients at EAH facilities on Monday are age 50 or older, representing 78% of all current COVID-19 hospitalizations. Patients who are 60 or older make up 61% of COVID-19 hospitalization, while patients who are 70 or older account for 39%.
42 of the 96 patients currently hospitalized are fully vaccinated, while 54 are unvaccinated.
EAH reported seeing 335 patients through drive-through testing over the weekend, 154 of which tested positive, resulting in a 46% positivity rating.
Lee County's current test positivity rate is 44.2%, while Alabama's positivity rate sits at 42.6%.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, 2,404 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across the state on Monday, including 97 pediatric patients and 41 pregnant women. Of the 97 pediatric patients, 15 are in the Intensive Care Unit and four are on ventilators.
Across the state, 476 COVID-19 patients are in ICUs, representing 34% of all ICU patients. 208, or 44%, of these patients are on ventilators.
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Trice Brown, senior in english language arts education, is the multimedia editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
