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Health experts fear Morgan County virus spread after July Fourth gatherings

Decatur Daily - 7/7/2020

Jul. 7--Fourth of July celebrations are likely to cause the number of COVID-19 cases to rise in Morgan County in the coming weeks, according to health care professionals.

Decatur Morgan Hospital chief nursing officer Anita Walden on Monday said Independence Day gatherings "probably will" lead to a spike in cases similar to what Morgan County experienced after Memorial Day weekend.

"During the Memorial Day gatherings we saw a spike within eight to 14 days," Walden said. "Hopefully more and more people are taking this seriously and they were careful to keep those gatherings to a minimum."

As of Monday, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,121 Morgan County residents had tested positive for the coronavirus, including five confirmed COVID-19 deaths. Thirty percent of the new cases have come in the last 14 days, and in the last seven days the county has added an average of 26 new cases per day.

ADPH reported 44,375 cases statewide -- up 24% in the last seven days --and at least 984 deaths since the pandemic began.

Judy Smith, public health administrator for Alabama Department of Public Health'sNorthern District, said public health professionals remain concerned that public gatherings will increase the number of cases seen in Morgan County.

"We would love to think that it wouldn't happen, but we don't have any positive experience to base that on," Smith said. "Quite honestly what we're anticipating is, by the end of this week, people will want to be tested."

Smith said many facilities are preparing for a possible jump in testing requests.

At a press conference Monday morning, Walden said Decatur Morgan Hospital had 23 patients confirmed as having COVID-19, with another 19 patients awaiting test results. Walden said two patients were on ventilators.

"We have excellent physicians and from day one they have said if we can possibly keep a patient off the ventilator, we want to do that. It's not good for the patients," Walden said. "However, when they get to a certain point and there's no alternative, we do put them on."

Walden said it's not just larger events, like Fourth of July celebrations, that people should be worried about with regards to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

"As people get more comfortable going back to shopping, gathering, all those things, we're going to see numbers rise even higher," she said. "That's what has happened in other counties: Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Marshall counties. In fact, Marshall saw a sharp decrease and then they went right back up, so we can't let our guard down."

Walden said a rise in cases could strain the hospital's resources.

"We cannot afford to fill up all of our beds with COVID patients and not have room to do our elective surgeries, or take care of our sick people. ICU beds in particular worry me a lot," Walden said.

Smith said ensuring there are sufficient resources to care for every patient in a hospital is more complex than simply having enough beds.

"It's not just the bed issue. It's the bed, it's the staff, it's the equipment that's needed to take care of that person, and it's the broad need for taking care of one diagnosis when we still have many, many other things going on," Smith said. "If COVID overwhelms the hospital -- if COVID takes up a lot of beds, a lot of staff -- then that diminishes the ability for that facility to be available for all the other needs that continue to be out there."

Smith emphasized the importance of wearing a mask in public, social distancing, washing and sanitizing hands frequently, and staying away from others if sick.

-- cassie.kuhn@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2469. Twitter @ DD_CassieKuhn.

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