New unemployment claims have leveled off somewhat in Alabama, according to numbers released Thursday, after a record 400,000 people applied for job loss benefits during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Alabama Department of Labor reported that nearly 29,000 unemployment claims were filed last week. More than 19,400 of those claims are COVID-19 related. The number is well above normal unemployment levels in the state, but down from the start of the pandemic when more than 70,000 claims were being filed weekly.

The drop could indicate Alabama is on the downward slope of the coronavirus-related jobless claims that soared after businesses shut their doors because of the virus and state closure orders.

The new jobless claims included more than 5,200 from the manufacturing sector and nearly 3,000 from the accommodation and food services industry.

Nearly 450,000 people applied for job loss benefits since the outbreak began in Alabama.