Kemp announces new steps as hospitals battle outbreak
ATLANTA - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp laid out additional steps to help Georgia hospitals and encourage — but not require — state employees to get vaccinated in response to an alarming surge in coronavirus cases.
Kemp held a news conference Monday afternoon with Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey to discuss these steps and answer questions.
Kemp said Georgia hospitals’ greatest problem is lack of staffing, and as a result, he is increasing the number of state-ed hospital staff from 1,300 to 2,800.
“This would amount to an additional $125 million of investment in state-ed staffing at hospital systems in both metro and rural areas through the first week of December,” he said.
He said 170 of the new staff will go rural hospitals.
In addition, 450 additional beds have been identified at nine regional coordinating hospitals to help ease the pressure for care.
To help encourage state employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, he said state offices will be closed Sept. 3 ahead of Labor Day, and he’s encouraging staff to get vaccinated on that day.
For those state workers who have been vaccinated, he told them to take that day off as a “thank you” for all their hard work through the difficult pandemic.
He reiterated that “Georgia will remain open for business.”
“We will not shut down,” he said. “We will not prevent families from earning a paycheck.”
For those Georgians who are still on the fence about getting vaccinated, he urged them to talk to their doctor or someone they trust who has been vaccinated and can help you make a good decision for yourself.
WATCH THE NEWS CONFERENCE:
North Augusta officers test positive
Some officers with the North Augusta Department of Public Safety tested positive for coronavirus recently, according to authorities.
According to agency spokesman Lt. Tim Thornton, some of the officers received medical treatment while others had more of a mild case.
Thornton said the source of the infections is unknown.
“Our officers could be exposed to COVID in a number of places, both on and off duty,” he told News 12.
According to Thornton, the fact the officers are constantly going out on calls and having with the public makes it hard to determine the source.
Some North Augusta officers have recently participated in t training with the Aiken Department of Public Safety, but there’s no evidence to that officers in the training were exposed to COVID exclusively during the training, Thornton told News 12.
We also don’t know whether Aiken Department of Public Safety personnel tested positive before or after the training.
“It is the practice of the City of Aiken Human Resources Department not to comment on the medical status of any City of Aiken employee,” Aiken Lt. Jennifer Hayes told News 12.
She confirmed that Aiken and North Augusta personnel over the past several weeks have been participating in a t in-house fire academy training program.
“The conclusion of that training has been postponed,” she said. “No interruption of services to the public is anticipated as a result of this postponement.”
She concluded: “Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all of those who are suffering from the effects of COVID-19.”
How the CSRA’s hospitals are coping
Since the highly contagious delta variant began pushing up COVID inpatient counts at local hospitals, University Hospital statistics have been a barometer for the severity of the pandemic locally.
As of Monday morning, the hospital had 110 COVID inpatients, according to spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester. That’s up from 100 on Friday.
During the past 72 hours, the hospital has discharged 30 COVID inpatients and itted 40, more than offsetting the discharges.
Of the current 100 inpatients, six have been vaccinated, Sylvester said. Of the five inpatients on a ventilator and 10 in intensive care, none have been vaccinated, she said.
Meanwhile, Doctors Hospital has 60 COVID inpatients, up six from Friday; Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center has 60, up one from Friday; Aiken Regional Medical Center has 36, up five from late last week; and Augusta University Health has 88, up five from Friday. Seven of AU Health’s inpatients are children.
Also in the news ...
HEALTH WORKERS ALARMED: Health care workers in Georgia are expressing increasing alarm and frustration with a surge in coronavirus cases. Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany has exceeded its highest patient count from the state’s last major COVID-19 surge.
RURAL HEALTH: Once upon a time, rural hospitals in Georgia would see patients of all kinds at all hours of the day or night. Now, to keep COVID-19 from spreading, they’re asking people questions so they can help screen themselves before they just show up there.
BOOSTER PLANS: Warning of tough days ahead with surging COVID-19 infections, the director of the National Institutes of Health says the U.S. could decide in the next couple of weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to more Americans, including the elderly, this fall.
COVID TOLL: The U.S. is now averaging about 650 COVID deaths a day, increasing more than 80 percent from two weeks ago and going past the 600 mark on Saturday for the first time in three months.
JOB REQUIREMENT: Job postings that list COVID-19 vaccination as a requirement shot up 34% in the first week of August compared to the month before according to jobs site Indeed.com.
SHOTS REQUIRED: A rapidly growing number of places across the U.S. are requiring people to show proof they have been inoculated against COVID-19 to teach school, work at a hospital, see a concert or eat inside a restaurant.
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