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The Alabama Department of Public Health has confirmed a fifth case of COVID-19 in Pike County.

The case was reported by ADPH around noon today.

No details about the case were available.

Four confirmed cases had been reported in Pike County by Friday, March 20, including a part-time city employee.

In addition, a Troy. University student and a Troy University professor, both of whom live outside Pike County, have tested positive for the virus. Neither has been on campus since March 9, although the student was in Pike County March 16-17, officials said.

Alabama has more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases with 17 deaths

Alabama on Wednesday reached 1,019 cases of the coronavirus, with 17 confirmed deaths from the virus.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said that 26 deaths have been reported in COVID-19 patients, and the state has so far confirmed that 17 of those were caused by the respiratory illness.

State Health Officer Scott Harris last week estimated that 10% or more of the cases in Alabama have required the person to be hospitalized. The University of Alabama at Birmingham said Tuesday that it had 52 COVID-19 patients in the hospital. East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika said Monday that it had 20 COVID-19 patients in the hospital.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks, and the overwhelming majority of people recover. But severe cases can need respirators to survive, and with infections spreading exponentially, hospitals across the country are either bracing for a coming wave of patients, or already struggling to keep up.

For real time reports on Alabama’s COVID-19 numbers, see https://alpublichealth.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7