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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Madison County is the State of Alabama’s only county currently labeled with a “high” COVID-19 community level, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

ADPH’s COVID-19 Dashboard states for a county to be considered in the “high” category, it must meet these guidelines:

  • For fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 people in the last week, new admissions must be 20% or higher, or the percentage of staff inpatient beds occupied by patients must exceed 15%
  • For more than 200 cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, new admissions must exceed 10% or more, or the percentage of staff inpatient beds occupied by patients has to be more than 10%

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), community levels help areas decide what steps should be taken in relation to COVID-19 based on the most recent data. Several factors weigh in on determining a community level, including usage of hospital beds, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in any given area.

Currently, the majority of Alabama counties are labeled at a low community level for COVID-19 with a few counties listed in the medium category. The dashboard updates once per week on Fridays.

In Madison County, the positivity rate in tests sits just under 20%, according to ADPH’s latest data. Just under 100,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded in the county since the pandemic started.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Alabama has recorded over 1.3 million cases of the virus. Almost 20,000 Alabamians have died as a result of COVID-19 since March 2020 – 2,951 of those deaths were recorded this year alone.

To learn more about COVID-19 in Alabama or how you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, visit the Alabama Department of Public Health’s website here.