DCH Coronavirus Update 8-18-21

Update Aug. 18, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Third Dose Now Available at DCH for Those Who Qualify

The FDA has amended its Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer and Moderna to allow for a third dose (also called a booster) of their COVID-19 vaccines for certain immunocompromised individuals.

DCH will begin offering third doses this Friday, Aug. 20. Vaccine doses for the public will continue to be administered at the remote site in the parking lot just west of DCH Regional Medical Center. Members of the public can sign up for an appointment at https://www.dchsystem.com/covidvaccine/.

The CDC recommends a third dose for those who have one of the following:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

More details about this change can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.

DCH only offers the Pfizer vaccine, and the booster can only be given 28 days or more after the second dose, or 90 days or more since receiving convalescent plasma or monoclonal therapy. If you received Moderna, you will need to go to a clinic that administers the Moderna vaccine to receive your booster.

Individuals who feel they qualify and would like a third dose must present proof of a previous vaccination by bringing their vaccination card and signing a self-attestation that they qualify.

For the initial vaccine doses or the booster, employees can visit the Oak Room at DCH Regional Medical Center on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

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 3:53 p.m. on 8/18/21:

• 129 inpatients within the DCH system who are positive for COVID-19.
• 31 inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are being treated in the ICU.
• 15 inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are on ventilators.
• 9,805 (cumulative) unique positives for COVID-19 tests including results from the ED, triage tent and inpatient. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 47,612 (cumulative) unique negatives for COVID-19 at DCH sites.
• 11,971 (cumulative) positive COVID-19 at DCH sites. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 94,589 (cumulative) negative tests at DCH sites.
• 3,422 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have been discharged. Please note, the wrong number was inadvertently copied here the last two days. The number shown today is accurate.
• 589 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.
• 315 Tuscaloosa County residents (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died (per the Alabama Department of Public Health).