BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – There were 318 new cases of COVID-19 reported Friday by the Alabama Department of Public Health, continuing an eight-day decline in new cases as the statewide mask mandate expires at 5 p.m. A mask requirement remains in several cities, including Birmingham, where the City Council has mandated masks be worn through May 24.
In total, 518,234 Alabamians have had the disease and 10,686 have died. That includes 11 new deaths reported Friday.
There were 317 people hospitalized with the disease and its aftermath Friday. That’s a slight increase from Thursday, when 310 were hospitalized. Since the beginning of the pandemic just more than a year ago, 47,916 patients have been hospitalized with the novel coronavirus.
At the peak of hospitalizations, in January, more than 3,000 people a day were being cared for in Alabama hospitals.
