DCH Coronavirus Update 4-9-21

Masks & Visitation

Today the Governor’s mask mandate changes from a requirement to a recommendation. Like many other hospitals across the state, DCH will continue with its current requirement for visitors, staff and physicians to wear a mask when in a DCH facility.

While the numbers have declined, we continue to treat COVID-19 positive patients. The COVID-19 team meets regularly, will continue to monitor the situation and will announce any changes as soon as they feel it is safe to proceed.

The temporary limited visitation policy also remains in place and is unchanged for now. Here is a link to that policy if you need it https://www.dchsystem.com/covid-19/visitation-policy2/

COVID-19 Information

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 Health System internal counts as of 2:44 p.m. on 4/9/21:

• Five or fewer inpatients within the DCH system who are positive for COVID-19.
• Five or fewer inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are being treated in the ICU.
• Five or fewer inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are on ventilators.
• Five or fewer who are positive for COVID-19 are on a BiPAP.
• 8,617 (cumulative) unique positives for COVID-19 tests including results from the ED, triage tent and inpatient. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 40,540 (cumulative) unique negatives for COVID-19 at DCH sites.
• 10,416 (cumulative) positive COVID-19 at DCH sites. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 76,169 (cumulative) negative tests at DCH sites.
• 3,027 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have been discharged.
• 545 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.
• 303 Tuscaloosa County residents (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died (per the Alabama Department of Public Health).