Georgia hospitals struggle with COVID-19 surge as ICU beds near capacity article
Nurses Penny Mumford, left, and Lisa Lynn prepare a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine outside of the Chatham County Health Department on December 15, 2020 (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - Behind Georgia s unprecedented post-holiday surge in coronavirus infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, the Kouns family s story is particularly heartbreaking.
Chris Kouns, a veteran college soccer coach from Lawrenceville, Georgia, says his family had been careful to wear masks and social distance.
But Kouns believes the virus found them Christmas morning when his parents Phillip and Marcia Kouns came over to open presents with their 12-year-old grandson.
Small Christmas gathering leaves 4 Georgia family members sickened with COVID-19
Four members of the same family all contracted COVID-19 after a Christmas gathering.
ATLANTA - In the last photo Chris Kouns has of his father Philip Kouns Christmas morning, he is sitting on his son s Lawrenceville, Georgia, couch with his wife of 54 years, Marcie, both of them wearing matching holiday pajamas.
They are watching their 12-year-old grandson open his presents.
It felt like a normal moment, in the middle of year that had been anything but. We were one of those families, from the beginning, that have taken this very seriously, Chris Kouns says. I knew I had two older parents. I knew that I had a wife who was high-risk.
STOCKBRIDGE â Piedmont Henry Hospital recently opened one of the stateâs first infusion centers to administer bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody treatment for high-risk patients diagnosed with COVID-19 that do not require hospitalization and oxygen therapy.
The infusion center, located on the hospitalâs campus, provided treatments for 13 patients ranging in age from 34 to 92 and coming from areas all over metro Atlanta, over the first two days of operation.
Piedmont Healthcare is now running four bamlanivimab infusion centers across Georgia.
âWeâre so pleased that we can provide this treatment for patients in need and help them avoid hospitalization and further complications due to COVID-19,â said Lily Henson, M.D., CEO of Piedmont Henry. âOur team has done an excellent job getting this center ready for patients in a short amount of time.â
Mom bakes 100 pies to show appreciation for hospital that saved her son s life
Martin Hill had a severe case of COVID-19 along with double pneumonia. The care of workers at Piedmont Henry helped him make a full recovery. Author: Cheryl Preheim Updated: 9:35 PM EST December 21, 2020
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. Nurses and doctors on COVID floors and in intensive care units see patients at their most vulnerable and touch-and-go moments.
So, it means a lot when they get to see a survivor thriving and thankful. Amid the pandemic, giving has taken on a new meaning this holiday season.
“You know everybody is experiencing a lot of loss this year,” Martin Hill said.
Georgia doctors get COVID vaccine to set example, calm concerns
Doctors at Piedmont Henry and Grady Memorial Hospitals are getting their vaccinations and speaking out to allay fears and counter misinformation. Author: 11Alive Staff Updated: 8:50 PM EST December 21, 2020
ATLANTA There aren’t enough doses of the COVID vaccine yet for all healthcare workers in Georgia. But the rollout continues with promises of more vaccines coming for frontline medical staff.
Dr. Zuhair Ahmed at Piedmont Henry Hospital said he wouldn t pass up the opportunity to get his vaccine and he wanted to show others it s safe.
“It was important for me to be one of the first few ones to get the vaccine because there s a lot of doubt in the community of the vaccine,” he said. “So, I wanted to kind of be like, ‘No, like, listen there s a lot of good science behind it’ and also kind of contribute to the fight against the coronavirus as well.”