Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Health

Death toll at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika increases to 6

(STOCK)

The number of patients who have died from COVID-19 at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika since Friday has increased to six, the hospital said in a statement Sunday.

Four of the patients were from Chambers County and two were from Lee County. The Alabama Department of Public Health is still investigating the deaths and only one of the deaths is reflected on the Alabama Department of Public Health’s website.

An official investigation must conclude the cause of death as COVID-19 before the state will report the number.

EAMC said it is sharing its COVID-19 information daily to “keep area residents informed.”

“Our hospital family expresses its collective condolences to the families of these five patients,” the hospital’s CEO, Laura Grill, said Saturday when announcing the first five deaths.  “As everyone knows, this virus has taken a toll on our nation and world, and our community is not exempt from that. Our hearts and prayers are with these families at this very difficult time.”

EAMC is currently treating 22 patients hospitalized with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, up from 19 on Saturday. Five patients who were previously hospitalized with COVID-19 have been discharged. There are 23 patients who are currently hospitalized at EAMC with suspected COVID-19.

The number of hospitalized patients has more than doubled from seven on Tuesday. It anticipates more.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

 

Chip Brownlee is a former political reporter, online content manager and webmaster at the Alabama Political Reporter. He is now a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit newsroom covering guns in America.

More from APR

Legislature

A variety of medical experts, including at UAB, have published statistics that show masks were an effective way to prevent the COVID-19 transmission.

News

Only three states have a higher disease frequency and mortality rate than Alabama, and just two states have a lower life expectancy.

Prisons

APR reached out to ADOC to confirm several deaths but the public agency never responded.

National

Marrazzo will have her work cut out for her, as the COVID-19 pandemic put prior director Anthony Fauci under a microscope.