Record number of Alabama kids hospitalized with COVID-19

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) – Alabama health officials say a record number of children are hospitalized with COVID-19 as the state’s largest public school district prepares to switch to virtual classes because so many staffers have contracted or been exposed to the coronavirus.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said in a statement Friday that 71 of nearly 2,100 people hospitalized statewide with COVID-19 were children.

The Mobile County school district said that it will switch to virtual classes Monday.

More than 16,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported this week in Alabama schools, including more than 600 in Mobile County schools.

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1/14/2022 3:15:14 PM (GMT -6:00)