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Madison County COVID update brings positive news

Hospitalizations are down, but officials are still asking you to get vaccinated.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — This week's Huntsville-Madison Area COVID update brought some welcome news after a couple of very rough months.

Hospitalizations are down and COVID case numbers are declining, but officials still urge everyone who can to get vaccinated.

Jeff Samz, president of Huntsville Hospital, says, "The Huntsville hospitals have 95 inpatients, and I'm very pleased to share that's half of what it was a month ago when I was here. So, we've seen a decline of fifty percent in our inpatients over the past month. Of the inpatients today 82 percent of them are unvaccinated. The average age today is 59 of hospitalized COVID patients."

COVID deaths are still happening, with HHS reporting 13 COVID deaths in the last 13 days. But the risk of serious hospitalization and death can be greatly reduced by getting vaccinated.

Flu season is also underway, with emergency departments seeing a little bit of flu activity. Samz says, "We have begun to see a little bit of flu activity through the emergency departments, and we would encourage everyone to consider your flu shot this year."  

Flu shots and COVID vaccination are readily available at most pharmacies and medical offices.

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