Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Marengo County’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 have increased to 243 and two people have died of the virus over the past week, bringing the total number of county deaths to 11.

The total number of cases as reported by the Department of Public Health is an increase of 22 over a seven-day period, from Tuesday, June 16, through Tuesday, June 23. A total of 2,467 Marengo County residents are reported as having taken the coronavirus test.

Testing continues to take place across the area.

The Rural Health Medical Program is Demopolis will host a popup COVID-19 test site on Wednesday, June 24, 9 a.m. to noon, at 1502 US Highway 80 E Unit A in Demopolis. To schedule an appointment call 844-736-7629.

Whitfield Regional Hospital also continues to test for the coronavirus, and have expanded testing to the hospital’s Linden and Fitzgerald clinic facilities. The hospital will partner with the South Marengo Fire and Rescue Squad to provide COVID-19 testing on June 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in front of the SMFR station located at 34818 AL Hwy. 10 in Sweetwater. The WRH Mobile Health Unit will be parked at the front of the station. A physician’s order is required and those being tested should remain in their vehicle, as a nurse will come to administer the test.

“We are doing more testing now than we were six weeks ago and that’s due to have increased access to tests,” said WRH CEO Doug Brewer.

While testing has increased, Brewer said the number of COVID-19 patients at the hospital has gone down. “Two to three weeks ago we were in the twenties in terms of hospitalizations, but in the last 10 days we’ve had 10 and below. That probably isn’t true across the state, but that is where we are at this time.”

Despite having few COVID in-patients, the hospital is staying at its bed capacity.

“We are working every day to empty beds and make room for patients. Many of these are not directly COVID-related, but are things like chest pains and diabetes. Some of these may be related to things that were put off during the pandemic,” he said.

Tuesday’s updated COVID-19 data for surrounding counties includes: Sumter County has reported 269 cases and 12 deaths; Wilcox County has 251 cases and eight deaths; Greene County has 157 cases, six deaths; Hale County has 264 and 18 deaths; Clarke County, 221 cases and four deaths; Dallas County is reporting 660 cases with six deaths; Choctaw County has 185 cases and 12 deaths; and Perry County is reporting 91 cases with no deaths.

Statewide there are 30,670 confirmed cases of the virus, an increase of over 4,778 since Tuesday, June 16.  The ADOPH reports 15,974 presumed recoveries. The state has recorded 854 confirmed deaths with 10 additional probable deaths. The number of hospitalizations since March 13 is 2,259. The total number of Alabamians tested has reached 302,294.