Southeast Health sees increase in COVID hospitalizations, along with the entire state

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - On Tuesday, nearly 2,000 COVID patients are in hospitals across Alabama. The number is increasing daily, and it’s up 146 patients since Monday’s report.

Southeast Health is seeing a trend right in line with those statewide numbers. Their hospitalizations almost doubled over the last two weeks.

Health leaders tell News 4 the contagious Omicron variant is to blame.

On Tuesday, Southeast Health is caring for 51 COVID patients, that’s nine more than yesterday.

The symptoms those patients have are what you would expect, being mostly coughing, runny nose and headaches.

The hospital reports the majority of these patients are unvaccinated.

“At the end of the day, our pandemic will continue if we don’t stick with the same precautions that we that we have always had, wash your hands, wear your mask, and become vaccinated, if at all possible,“ Taylor Williams, vice president of Southeast Health, said. “That is the way we will be able to end the pandemic is to continue to proceed with the same precautions that we have always advised.”

The good news, Williams adds is the likelihood of hospitalization is much lower with Omicron. It’s about 30 percent less than what they saw with Delta.

But, with how contagious this strain is and the record-breaking number of cases Alabama is seeing, the number of people in the hospital is about the same.

Alabama has not seen hospitalization numbers this high since September.

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