UPDATED: Two Coronavirus deaths reported in Shelby County

On Tuesday, March 31, the first two Coronavirus related deaths in Shelby County were reported.

Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans confirmed that the two deaths occurred at Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster. Both individuals were over the age of 60, had pre-existing health conditions and were from north Shelby County.

Evans said she is still waiting on two more rulings and expects there to be more. She added that just because the numbers seem small, there is a time lag of reviewing cases and getting those numbers and expects them to increase.

“We try to be in real time when we report deaths, but (immediate) information is just not possible, so there’s always going to be a lag in reporting positive cases and deaths that are COVID-19 related,” she said.

Evans stressed that this situation is serious, important and a big deal and encourages everyone to practice social distancing as everyone is susceptible to the virus. 

“This is a chance for Shelby County to shine and not follow the rest of the country,” she said. “We can all do our part for this if we take it seriously. 

Of the 952 confirmed cases in the state, Shelby County has 87. That is the third highest in the state following Jefferson County (264) and Madison (99).

According to the Alabama Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, reported deaths and deaths from this illness represent the number of individuals who have a positive lab result and are now deceased.

To count a person who died from COVID-19 disease, the medical record of the deceased person has to be reviewed by a physician and Infectious Disease and Outbreak staff. Once the review is complete, if the death is attributed to COVID-19, the individual will also appear in the deaths from this illness on the dashboard. Reported death totals are cumulative and will never decrease.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, statewide, 7,249 people have been tested, with 974 confirmed cases. Twenty deaths have been reported, with 13 of those confirmed as being related to COVID-19. 

If you have symptoms that include a fever, cough or shortness of breath, or have been in contact with somebody who has the virus, call UAB at 205-975-1881 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. to describe your symptoms. They will determine whether you present what could be COVID-19 symptoms, and if necessary, can schedule an appointment for testing the next day.

For general COVID-19 questions, call 1-800-270-7268 or email covid19info@adph.state.al.us.