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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

Shelby County set a new daily record on Wednesday, July 8, with 86 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.

During the 11-day span from June 28 through July 8, there were four days with 60 or more new cases and seven with 40-plus new cases, while all but two days saw more than 30 new cases.

Over the last two weeks, there have been 599 new confirmed cases, which brought the total number to 1,509 with 20,328 tests administered in that time frame.

That means 7.4 percent of those tested have tested positive, while 9.3 percent of the county’s population has been tested and 0.6 percent of the population has tested positive.

Right now, the Alabama Department of Public Health says there are 24 deaths in the county, but Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans has confirmed 32 deaths related to the virus. She did add that 80 percent were 80 or older and that all had underlying health problems.

Just more than a week ago, the county surpassed 1,000 cases when it reached 1,018 on Monday, June 28. Over the next seven days, there were 316 new cases, marking the largest seven-day increase since the first case was confirmed in the county back on March 16.

The next three days saw an additional 175 cases to bring the total to its current mark of 1,509 as of Thursday, July 9.

Statewide there has also been a sharp increase in recent days with more than 1,800 new cases on July 8 alone.

The state’s total number of cases now sits at 48,588 as of Thursday, July 9, which marks an increase of 11,906 cases since Monday, June 28. During the seven days between June 28 and July 9 there were a total of 7,693 new cases, which marked one of the largest seven-day increases since the virus began and was more than the previous seven-day span of 6,651.

The state has seen 14,838 new cases in the last 14 days, while there have now been 467,754 tests administered during the last four months.

So far 10.3 percent of those tested have tested positive for the virus, while 9.5 percent of the state’s population has been tested with 0.99 percent of the state’s population having tested positive.

Since the virus started in Alabama back on March 13, 3,039 hospitalizations have been recorded with 870 in the intensive care unit and 490 on ventilators. That marks an increase of 3,039 hospitalized in the last 10 days, while there are 69 new patients in the ICU and 33 on ventilators.

The death toll in the state also recently surpassed 1,000 and is now at 1,042. Of those who have passed away, 78.4 percent have been 65 or older, while 16.9 percent have been between the ages of 50 and 64.

That means just 4.7 percent have been between the ages of 0 and 49, while 95.3 percent have been 50 or older. In addition to that, 51 percent have been males, 49.9 percent have been white and 44.3 percent have been black.

Of those who have been infected, only 16.8 percent have been 65 or older, while 62.1 percent have been between the ages of 0 and 49, and 20 percent have been between the ages of 50 and 64.

Females have been infected at a higher percentage, accounting for 55.9 percent of all cases, while 34 percent have been white and 33.8 have been black.

If you think you have been exposed or have symptoms of COVID-19, please isolate and call your doctor or nearest medical facility for guidance or call the Alabama Department of Public Health hotline at 1-888-264-2256.

For more information about COVID-19, visit Alabamapublichealth.gov/infectiousdiseases/2019-coronavirus.

To view an updated dashboard of confirmed cases and see testing sites, visit Alpublichealth.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7

Continue to follow throughout this week for daily updates to see if the upward trend continues in relation to the number of tests administered.