Atlanta-Georgia reported last week the fourth worst COVID-19 hospitalization rate in the country, a federal government report said.
“Georgia is in a complete pandemic revival and will experience a continuous increase in new COVID (hospital) admissions and deaths,” said the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The report dated Sunday was obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
The report shows that the number of people in Georgia currently hospitalized for the disease is record high, and the expected surge has arrived, although there is a risk of death from the third wave of the virus. Comes from
The state reported 5,721 patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in Georgia around 3:30 pm on Wednesday. COVID-19 patients make up more than one-third of Georgia’s inpatients.
The surge in hospitalizations is straining hospital staff and resources. State and federal hospital records show that nine out of ten ICU beds are full throughout the state, and nearly half of patients in the intensive care unit are infected with COVID-19.
Hospitals throughout the state warn of the flood of emergency and emergency rooms and fear of distribution-based treatment. On Wednesday, the CEO of the state’s largest hospital received a vigilant call.
John Haupert, CEO of Grady Health System, which runs the Grady Memorial Hospital, wrote at a community briefing that the safety net hospital is full and has treated more coronavirus patients than ever in the last two weeks.
“I’m worried that as hospitalizations continue to grow, we’ll face hospitals in other states working on it. It’s a difficult choice in providing care,” says Howpert.
The state’s COVID-19 field hospital at the Georgia World Congress Center, which is supported by Grady, has 42 patients out of a bed with 60 staff, Howpert said in a memo.
On Wednesday, the Georgia Public Health Service (DPH) reported 8,596 new confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19. The 7-day moving average of newly identified and suspected cases is about 9,800, more than triple that of December 1.
It is possible that the expected surge in deaths has arrived since the number of cases began to increase in October. Georgia reported 136 net new confirmed coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, and five more were considered “probable” for COVID-19. This was the second worst confirmed death reported in a day since the start of the pandemic, following the 145 net new confirmed deaths reported on Tuesday.
Many of these deaths occurred days or weeks ago, as it takes time for the state to report confirmed deaths.
The moving average of newly reported confirmed deaths is currently 78, the highest point in the pandemic.
The White House Task Force report pointed to a “serious and continuous deterioration” from California across the Sun Belt and southeast across the Atlantic coast. Task Force reports that spreads occur in the United States at about twice the rate of spring and summer waves, requiring increased mitigation, testing, and vaccination.
“This acceleration and epidemiological data suggests that some strains of the US COVID-19 virus may have evolved into more contagious viruses,” the report said.
Last week, DPH reported the first confirmed case of a British strain of virus in the state. This strain is not believed to cause fatal or worse illness in infected individuals, but is considered to be much more contagious than common strains.
As UK strains, or other more toxic strains, become more common, they can send more sick people to hospitals and exacerbate already dangerous situations.
Screening for various strains remains restricted nationally and throughout Georgia.
The Task Force warned that, as it has been for months, Georgia needs to step up mitigation efforts, including masking, “strict physical distance”, and increased testing and vaccination.
Governor Brian Kemp has repeatedly urged Georgians to cover up, limit meetings and follow other public health guidelines. However, he refused to impose new restrictions on business and meetings, arguing that it was up to the Georgians to ask responsibly.
Jody Guest, a professor and vice chairman of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, said: “If we don’t give in, it’s going to be really hard earlier this year.” We have to control the spread of both while we’re vaccinated rapidly. “
Georgia ranked 16th in the number of new cases for the week ending Friday, up from 9th last week. Georgia reported a weekly increase in cases, despite improved national case rankings.
The White House reports that 152 of Georgia’s 159 counties are currently in the high-incidence Red Zone.
The Task Force has urged the state not to delay vaccination of people over the age of 65 and others who are susceptible to severe illness.
“The vaccine shouldn’t be in the freezer, but instead it should be in the weapon now,” the report said. “Aggressive and aggressive vaccination in the face of this surge will save lives.”
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia is ranked near the bottom of all states in terms of immunization rates. State leaders say data reporting issues have exacerbated Georgia’s records and significantly underestimated the doses previously administered.
Vaccine supply is allocated per capita. However, under the new allocation plan announced on Tuesday, the federal government will reward the states with the highest vaccination rates to begin within two weeks.
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