Only 23 new cases in county since Friday
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to decline over the past weekend, especially among Escambia County residents.
Although the report issued at 9 a.m. Tuesday, September 15, by Escambia County Healthcare Authority showed that Alabama experienced 2,756 new cases since Friday, September 11, only 23 of the newly infected reside in Escambia County.
The new cases bring the state’s total to 139,459 confirmed cases since the pandemic first made itself known in Alabama. The statewide death toll from the virus climbed to 2,355.
Locally, 1,302 cases have been confirmed, with 23 deaths. Only 541 specimens have been collected over the past 14 days.
Hospitals
The number of cases reported by the county’s two hospitals reflects a dramatic decrease.
Atmore Community Hospital reported an increase of just two cases, bringing ACH’s total to 559. Of 2,593 specimens collected there, the majority (1,963) have been negative. Thirty cases are pending lab results, while 41 specimens have given inconclusive results.
At D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton, one new case was reported over the past four days, leaving the hospital’s total at 236. DWM staff have collected 1,206 samples, with 938 of them negative, 8 still pending and 24 inconclusive.
Nursing homes
Information provided by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicate that through the week ended August 30, neither of the county’s nursing homes reported any new cases, among residents or staff, over the previous week.
Atmore Nursing Center’s figures stand at 35 confirmed cases among residents, with 7 deaths, and 23 cases among staff members.
At West Gate Village in Brewton, the numbers remained at 68 confirmed cases among residents (8 deaths) and 41 among staff.