COVID-19 hospitalizations are declining in Columbus. Here are the numbers
Columbus hospitals are seeing fewer COVID-19 patients and shorter hospital stays as the number of cases is decreasing in Muscogee County.
St. Francis-Emory Healthcare had a peak of 61 COVID-19 positive patients in the last week of January, spokesperson Grant Farrimond said, and the numbers have been steadily declining since then.
As of Feb. 8, the hospital was caring for 30 COVID-19 patients, 50% of whom are unvaccinated, he said.
Piedmont Columbus Regional has experienced a similar trend, spokesperson Jessica Roberts said. She declined to share specific COVID patient numbers.
Throughout the case surge caused by the omicron variant, both hospitals’ capacity was stretched. The volume in the emergency room at St. Francis-Emory has been consistently high throughout 2022, Farrimond said.
At Piedmont, the biggest challenge has been ensuring resources, such as staffing and beds, are available to people who have the most critical health needs, Roberts said. The best way to support hospitals in this effort is to get vaccinated, she said, stating that about 70% of Piedmont’s COVID patients are unvaccinated.
“When our capacity is stretched to its limits during these large surges, our ability to take care of other illnesses, conditions and to complete elective surgical procedures is impacted,” Roberts said.
Piedmont Columbus Regional is the area’s only trauma center, she said, and resources are needed to take care of patients requiring trauma care.
Despite these challenges, hospital officials say the severity of illness caused by the omicron variant was less than previous variants and resulted in shorter hospital stays.
The average length of stay across the Piedmont system during the omicron surge is 5.8 days, Roberts said, 26% lower than the average of the four previous waves. During the delta surge, the average length of stay was 8.5 days.
Fewer patients at St. Francis-Emory needed intensive care and ventilator breathing assistance during this wave of cases, Farrimond said.
Both hospitals continue to implement COVID-19 rules and procedures for patients and visitors. Piedmont generally allows one essential care partner per patient per day. Two care partners are allowed for pediatric patients, but none are allowed for COVID-positive patients.
St. Francis-Emory is allowing one health support person per day, with exceptions permitted with approval for special circumstances. No visitors are permitted for COVID-19 patients.
Piedmont recently changed its policy during the omicron surge to require only medical masks, not cloth, for patients and visitors.
Hospital officials continue to ask community members to wear masks, wash their hands and socially distance themselves to slow the spread.
Here are the latest COVID-19 trends in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties, according to DPH data.
Muscogee County
Muscogee County reported a two-week case rate of 878 cases per 100,000 people as of Feb. 9. This is the lowest the two-week case rate has been since Jan. 2 when it was 875 cases per 100,000 people.
The number of cases in a two-week period peaked in this latest wave on Jan. 19 with 4,734 cases per 100,000 people, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The seven-day moving average on Feb. 9 was 78.9 cases, down from a moving average of 81 cases on Feb. 2. 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.
There have been 33 deaths from COVID-19 in the county so far in 2022. Since the start of the pandemic, Muscogee County has reported 31,434 coronavirus cases and 625 deaths.
In the last two weeks, 27.2% of COVID tests in the county were positive with 7,811 PCR tests administered.
As of Feb. 9, 47% of Muscogee County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 42% are fully vaccinated. Additionally, 16% of residents have received an additional dose of the vaccine.
Chattahoochee County
Chattahoochee County reported a two-week case rate of 837 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people on Feb. 9.
The county reported 24 new cases and no deaths in the past week. There have been 5,882 cases and 16 deaths since the pandemic began.
There were 258 new viral tests reported in the last two weeks, and Chattahoochee County’s test positivity rate for the time period is 33.8%.
It is important to note that all residents and soldiers-in-training at Fort Benning who test positive for COVID-19 are counted in Chattahoochee County’s totals.
Chattahoochee County has fully vaccinated 21% of its residents, as of Feb. 9, and 25% have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Five percent of the population have received an extra dose of the vaccine.
Georgia update
Total cases: 1,883,693 (+28,956 reported since Feb. 3). 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: 62% of Georgians have received at least one dose, while 55% are fully vaccinated with 21% receiving an additional dose.
Total deaths: 28,358 (+612 deaths since Feb. 3). 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: The rate over the past two weeks is 17.4% positive.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 227 hospitalizations reported on Feb. 9.
More information about COVID-19 data in Georgia can be found on DPH’s COVID-19 status website.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 11:35 AM.
