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Pike County’s number of COVID-19 cases grew by eight on Friday, as the state topped 28,850 confirmed cases.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported 352 cases in Pike County with 3 confirmed deaths. The county has added 54 new cases in the past week.

Statewide, Alabama added 787 new cases and 11 additional deaths, bringing the totals to 28,583 cases and 812 confirmed deaths.

Pike is one of 17 counties considered Alabama’s Black Belt, and those counties are seeing a significant in coronavirus cases.

The counties include just 11 percent of the state’s population but account for 27 percent of the state’s confirmed COVID-19 cases and 25 percent of the state’s confirmed deaths.

Nationally, more than 2.2 million cases of coronavirus have been reported, with more than 118,990 deaths. According to the New York Times’ analysis of data, Alabama is one of several southern states – including Florida and Texas – identified as a hot spot for new cases.