North Alabama sees spike in coronavirus inpatients, cases

On ventilators.

Waay 31's bridget divers joins us live outside huntsville hospital now - with what she learned about the virus's impact in north alabama.

Bridget... those numbers have been hovering around that number for awhile now during the coronavirus pandemic.

David spillers/ ceo huntsville hospital "at 10 o'clock we had 497 covid positive inpatients in our hospitals."

Two hundred thirty-six of those patients are in madison county.

"as a system we've been hovering right around that 500 mark for awhile now."

That's because as patients leave more come in.

"every day our system discharges roughly 50 to 55 patients, but we're admitting 55 to 60 patients."

The positivity rate for the covid-19 virus is running around 35 percent.

In some areas though it's fifty percent.

"that's an extremely high positivity rate."

That means if you're sick -- you have a really good chance that you have the virus.

"so, if you're sick and you have not seen a physician or been to get tested please assume you have covid until you find out you don't have covid."

Now david spillers said that he is not worried about running out of beds in the hospitals.

But he is worried about running out of staff.

Live outside huntsville hospital, bridget divers, waay-31