Limestone County has once again been designated “very high risk” for community spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The county is among 21 that are currently labeled as such by the Alabama Department of Public Health. According to ADPH, such counties earn the designation by reporting an equal or increasing number of new cases.

That said, ADPH reports Limestone County is still meeting testing goals and visits for COVID-like symptoms are declining. Additionally, the percentage of tests with positive results has remained below 10% since February and declining since June.

As of Friday, the total number of new cases since the disease reached North Alabama more than a year ago had risen to 10,210, with more than 1,500 deemed “probable” cases of COVID-19. Of the total, only about 17 had occurred in the last 14 days.

Total number of deaths had risen to 158, 131 of which were confirmed deaths due to COVID-19.

Since the introduction of vaccine clinics in the county, case numbers have dropped significantly. A post-holiday surge saw daily case counts jump to upwards of 6,000, but with the exception of a spike around mid-February, Limestone County has steadily declined to near or below 1,000 cases a day since.

By June, three- and seven-day averages were near or below 200.

Vaccine clinics

Vaccination against COVID-19 was first made available to health care workers in December 2020, with Athens-Limestone Hospital being among the first hospitals to offer the vaccine to employees. In the months since, eligibility has been expanded to include everyone 12 or older, and clinics were set up in the county to allow people to set an appointment or even walk in for their shot.

However, vaccination rates have slowed considerably in recent months, and Southern states have trailed behind the rest of the country in getting residents vaccinated.

Residents in Limestone County can contact ALH at 256-262-6188 or visit alcovidvaccine.gov for more information and to set an appointment to receive their vaccine.