What Columbus residents should know about fighting COVID-19 before the holiday season
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Columbus are down as the holiday season approaches, but public health experts and officials encourage residents to remain vigilant and to get vaccinated to fend off a possible surge after the holidays.
Hospitalizations across Georgia are down by roughly 85% from the peak in early September, said John Fellows, spokesperson for Piedmont Columbus Regional.
St. Francis-Emory Healthcare is caring for less than 10 COVID-19 positive patients, which is consistent with state and regional reporting, said spokesperson Grant Farrimond.
“Hospitals throughout the state, including Piedmont Columbus Regional, are welcoming this decline,” Fellows said. “But the unpredictable nature of this virus means it remains as important as ever to take necessary precautions to protect the health of you, your loved ones and our community.”
St. Francis-Emory will continue its the health and safety operating protocols, Farrimond said. These include requiring everyone inside to wear masks, screening for COVID-19 symptoms, enhanced cleaning, isolating patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 and allowing one healthy visitor per patient.
With the winter months approaching, there is a possibility for an uptick in COVID-19 cases, Farrimond said. The community is encouraged to continue wearing masks, properly wash hands and social distance to help slow the spread of illness.
Using these practices also will help protect residents when they’re in public for holiday shopping. If some residents feel uncomfortable shopping in the holiday crowds, there are online shopping and delivery services for almost everything, West Central Health District spokesperson Pamela Kirkland said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommend that people delay traveling for the holidays or an event until they are fully vaccinated. If a person has to travel while not fully vaccinated, they should get tested both before and after the trip, the CDC says.
If an individual has been exposed to COVID-19, is sick or tests positive for the virus, the CDC recommends that they do not travel.
If there are plans for a group to gather from multiple households or from different parts of the county, the CDC says they should take additional precautions like avoiding crowded indoor spaces before travel and testing before the gathering.
“The best defense is to get a COVID-19 vaccine and encourage everyone you know to get vaccinated,” Farrimond said. “At this point, most of the patients we are seeing who are hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.”
COVID-19 vaccine clinics for those 12 and older are held Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Columbus Health Department, she said. A pediatric vaccine clinic for those ages 5-11 will be held Nov. 23 from 3-6 p.m. However, anyone who goes to the health department at any time will be able to get a vaccine, Kirkland said.
“We can assure everyone that we are working hard to plan for many scenarios,” Farrimond said. “And are fully committed to doing everything we can to protect the health and well-being of our team and our community.”
Here are the latest COVID-19 trends in Muscogee County, according to DPH data.
Muscogee County
Muscogee County reported a two-week case rate of 80 cases per 100,000 people as of Nov. 19. There were 154 coronavirus cases reported in Muscogee County in the last two weeks.
The seven-day moving average on Nov. 19 was 12.7 cases. The seven-day moving average is found by taking the number of cases reported in the last seven days, adding them up and then dividing by seven.
Over the last week, 1,583 new viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 5.6%.
There are 86,375 residents (44%) in Muscogee County who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 76,879 (39%) are fully vaccinated.
Georgia update
Total cases: 1,277,939 (+5,271 reported since Nov. 13). The number of new cases reported in a day may not match the difference in total cases over a 24-hour period. This occurs because previously reported cases may be removed as duplicate reports are corrected. An older confirmed case may also be reclassified as additional information is collected during an investigation.
Vaccination Rate: 57% of Georgians have received at least one dose, while 51% are fully vaccinated.
Total deaths: 25,546 (+202 deaths since Nov. 13). It’s important to note that these numbers indicate when deaths are reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. It does not reflect when these deaths occurred.
Positivity rate for Georgia today: 10.8%. The rate over the past two weeks is 3.4% positive.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 99 hospitalizations reported on Nov. 19.
More information about COVID-19 data in Georgia can be found on DPH’s COVID-19 status website.
