COVID deaths rise in Alabama, after state reported more deaths than births in 2020

After weeks of rising coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, there are signs that the latest wave of coronavirus in Alabama may start to ease. However, reprieve comes at a high cost – the state is currently experiencing a near-record increase in virus-related deaths.

“We are seeing a decrease in the number of hospital patients, but unfortunately, just because everyone is better and returning home to their families … These patients are dying,” said Dr Kierstin Kennedy, chief of hospital medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, told ABC News.

Statewide, there are now more than 2,100 patients hospitalized with coronavirus, and the capacity of intensive care units also remains limited, with 97% of intensive care beds currently in use, according to federal data.

Although the numbers are now declining, Kennedy said, this increase is different from the previous one because “the patients are so sick” and therefore require longer stays.

“Many of our patients who are in acute care facilities are getting worse and requiring an intensive care unit. I think overall the need for intensive care beds remains high statewide.” , Kennedy added.

Because more than 74% of Alabama’s senior population chose to be vaccinated, they fared better throughout this latest wave, Kennedy said. However, this latest wave was also a particularly baffling experience, she added, as the patient population is much younger, and mostly made up of unvaccinated people.

“These patients are as sick if not more than the elderly patients, they are staying in the hospital longer and they are dying at an alarming rate,” Kennedy said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve seen.”

The new wave comes as recent data revealed that for the first time in Alabama’s history, there were more deaths than births in 2020.

“Here in Alabama, we continue to see deaths at a very high rate.… 2020 is going to be the first year we know in the history of our state where we’ve actually had more deaths than births – our state literally. shrunk in 2020, ”Alabama state health official Dr. Scott Harris said at a press conference Friday.

In 2020, data showed 64,714 Alabama residents died and only 57,641 were born. Even during World War II or the 1918 influenza pandemic, there was never a time when deaths exceeded births, Harris added.

“It’s certainly possible that this will happen this year as well if we continue at the same pace we’re seeing now,” Harris noted.

Although the situation is showing signs of improvement, the country is entering flu season and public health measures have been relaxed considerably in Alabama.

“At this point we’re sort of preparing ourselves, because we see the resumption of college football and people in great numbers, and we’re wondering how it’s going to go, in terms of inpatient volumes both for COVID and for the flu, “Kennedy said.

Additionally, Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with just 41.6% of the state’s total population fully vaccinated, exposing a large portion of the state’s population. at risk of serious infection.

“Unless we see a dramatic increase in the number of people vaccinated, our worry is that we will do it again in a few months. And every time we do it, it seems to get worse,” Kennedy said.

The ongoing crisis has frustrated frontline workers, Kennedy said, admitting she still doesn’t see an end in sight.

“Watching people in the community behaving like COVID isn’t a problem or it’s over is really – it’s a stark contrast to what we see in the hospital and so on. sometimes it’s very difficult to deal with, ”Kennedy said. “We don’t have to be in these situations. We choose illness and death in ways that just aren’t natural.”