DCH Coronavirus Update 8-12-20

New Testing Chart View

For some time now we have provided a chart showing both the DCH results of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 as well as the state results. That is not changing. What is changing is the scale.

If we look back to June 19 (that’s about when we introduced unique positives), the state results were at about an 8.6 percent positive rate, DCH unique results were about 10.2 percent and all DCH testing results were at about 11 percent. At that time we were showing about an 11 percent scale range to be able to display all three sets of results.

Since then all three data sets have converged and clustered so tightly around the high 12 and low 13 percent range that we have had to zoom in to see the detail. Today’s chart is now on about a 1 percent scale to provide a better idea of how things are trending in near real time.

As a reminder, the chart shows the cumulative total of positive COVID-19 test results for the state (dark blue line), all positive results for DCH (green line) and DCH unique positives (light blue). The line for unique positives represents only one result per person, whereas the green line is a percent of all positives divided by all results at DCH (some situations require multiple tests per person).

Testing and Confirmed Cases

To protect patient privacy, DCH has established a minimum threshold of five for reporting numbers of inpatients with laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

DCH internal counts as of 2:20 p.m. on 8/12/20:

• 85 inpatients are being treated for COVID-19.
• 29 inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are being treated in the ICU.
• 8 who are positive for COVID-19 are on ventilators.
• 2,534 (cumulative) unique positives for COVID-19 tests including results from the ED, triage tent and inpatient. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 16,585 (cumulative) unique negatives for COVID-19 at DCH sites.
• 3,288 (cumulative) positive COVID-19 at DCH sites. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 22,214 (cumulative) negative tests at DCH sites.
• 676 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have been discharged.
• 136 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died at DCH. This is not an indication of the cause of death, only that the individuals were positive for COVID-19 at the time of death.
• 79 Tuscaloosa County residents (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died (per the Alabama Department of Public Health).