Etowah County's COVID new cases flat; Alabama cases plummet 26.7%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·4 min read
Nurses Debbie Black and Rachel Lee double check a COVID-19 vaccine dose for a child during a vaccine clinic in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9.
Nurses Debbie Black and Rachel Lee double check a COVID-19 vaccine dose for a child during a vaccine clinic in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9.

Alabama reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 4,231 new cases. That's down 26.7% from the previous week's tally of 5,770 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Alabama ranked 28th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 19.4% from the week before, with 323,859 cases reported. With 1.47% of the country's population, Alabama had 1.31% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 10 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Etowah County reported 107 cases and no deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 109 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 31,925 cases and 676 deaths.

Cherokee County reported 17 cases and no deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 23 cases and no deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 6,008 cases and 87 deaths.

Marshall County reported 39 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 106 cases and no deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 30,912 cases and 402 deaths.

DeKalb County reported 42 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 23 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 21,182 cases and 341 deaths.

Calhoun County reported 719 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 717 cases and five deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 38,211 cases and 656 deaths.

St. Clair County reported 84 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 77 cases and no deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 30,078 cases and 434 deaths.

Blount County reported 37 cases and no deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 82 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 16,912 cases and 258 deaths.

Across Alabama, cases fell in 48 counties, with the best declines in Cullman County, with 67 cases from 390 a week earlier; in Covington County, with 8 cases from 228; and in Jefferson County, with 474 cases from 649.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Within Alabama, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Calhoun County with 633 cases per 100,000 per week; Winston County with 609; and Fayette County with 221. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Calhoun County, with 719 cases; Jefferson County, with 474 cases; and Madison County, with 364. Weekly case counts rose in 17 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Winston, Dale and Fayette counties.

In Alabama, 27 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 73 people were reported dead.

A total of 1,522,135 people in Alabama have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 20,422 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 96,397,885 people have tested positive and 1,059,605 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Alabama's COVID-19 hospital admissions staying flat

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Oct. 2. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 692

  • The week before that: 689

  • Four weeks ago: 1,136

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 51,355

  • The week before that: 53,692

  • Four weeks ago: 61,434

Hospitals in 17 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 25 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 17 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Etowah County reported 107 additional COVID-19 cases this week