A Message from Mayor Stimpson - July 6th
Jul 6th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 9 p.m. on Monday, July 6, and I am writing to give you an update on the City of Mobile's efforts regarding COVID-19.
Today, the Mobile County Health Department released its expanded report of data for the week ending July 4. Here are some key takeaways from the report:
- Mobile County recorded a total of 4,073 laboratory confirmed COVID positive patients, an increase of 655 patients from the prior week total of 3,418. This represents a growth rate of 4.8 percent.
- Mobile County recorded a total of 303 hospitalized patients, an increase of 14 from the prior week total of 289, a growth rate of 4.8 percent.
- Mobile County recorded a total of 138 deaths, an increase of 2 people from the prior week total of 136.
- Mobile County recorded a total of 48,681 laboratory tests, an increase of 4,209 tests from the prior week total of 44,472, a growth of 9.5 percent and representative of 8.6 percent of the total reported tests to date.
- The overall laboratory confirmed positive rate is now 8.4 percent, an increase of 0.8 percent from the prior rate of 7.6 percent.
From Monday to Sunday, area hospitals averaged 75 COVID positive patients per day. That was an increase of 12 from the prior week average of 63, a growth rate of 19 percent.
Area hospitals averaged 23 ICU patients due to COVID, an increase of 7 from the prior week average of 16, a growth rate of 43.8 percent. Area hospitals' total ICU bed availability averaged 12.4 percent.
We continue to receive a tremendous amount of feedback regarding an ordinance to require face coverings in the City of Mobile. The ordinance was approved by a 6-1 vote of the Mobile City Council at a special meeting on Thursday, and took effect at 5 p.m. Friday.
The Mobile Police Department reported today that no citations were issued over the weekend for violations of the ordinance. Our goal is to give out masks, not tickets. Officers are doing their best to encourage voluntary compliance and educating citizens on the order, which is set to expire on July 31.
It's too soon to say whether the order is effective or not. But, with COVID cases continuing to rise, clearly we must all take precautions to protect ourselves from the virus. Wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of COVID-19.
I wear a mask to protect those around me, including our first responders, health care workers and city employees. If we each to our part, we will slow down the spread of Coronavirus and speed up the recovery process for our local businesses.
Whether you do it for your family, your friends or your co-workers, I encourage you to join me in doing all you can to prevent others from being infected.