Spike In AL Coronavirus Cases Continues To Worry Officials

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Alabama state health director Dr. Scott Harris is continuing to warn residents that the danger of the coronavirus outbreak hasn't faded into the background. On Friday, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported its second straight day of a more than 500 new cases of COVID-19.

During a news conference in Montgomery, Harris said that the state's increased capacity for testing can't alone account for the spike in numbers.

According to data from the health department, Alabama state has conducted 75,000 tests in the last two weeks — but over the same time period it reported more than 5,400 new coronavirus cases, particularly in Montgomery and around state's River Region, Harris said. (During Friday's press conference, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said the area is still "in a crisis" with 357 new cases reported just this week.)

The rate of new cases in Montgomery don't appear to connected to a Lake of the Ozarks-style public party, Harris noted.

"What we've been seeing here in Montgomery is it's not really clear where it's coming from, there's not a single event or location or facility that we can point to," he said. "That lets us know that we continue to have congoing community transmission here. We have people who are getting infected and going about their everyday lives."

Harris emphasized that social distancing and masks remain key to beating back the infection and lowering the curve of new cases. To date, 605 people have died.

As of Friday afternoon, the counties with the most cases on COVID-19:

• Mobile County: 2,144 confirmed cases; 20,705 tested; 114 deaths
• Jefferson County: 1,723 confirmed cases; 37,090 tested; 102 deaths
• Montgomery County: 1,569 confirmed cases; 9,105 tested; 38 deaths
• Tuscaloosa County: 699 confirmed cases; 10,486 tested; 13 deaths
• Marshall County: 675 confirmed cases; 5,548 tested; 9 deaths

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