Vaccines administered: 2,740,601 (+387,297)
Over the span of just a few months, healthcare workers in Dawson County have administered over 6,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to local residents, frontline workers and first responders.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s online dashboard, as of Monday, March 15, 2021, 6,196 COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in Dawson County, including 3,767 first doses of the vaccine and 2,429 second doses of the vaccine.
Across the state of Georgia, 2,740,601 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, including over 380,000 which were administered over the last week.
In the past week, positive COVID-19 cases, and deaths and hospitalizations due to the virus have continued to sharply decline, according to data provided by the DPH’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Georgia’s worst-in-the-nation status for COVID vaccination rate is a glaring hole in the state’s fight against the disease.
Some hospital officials are pointing to trouble inputting data into the state immunization registry about shots that have been given. Gov. Brian Kemp has talked about “a significant underreporting’’ of how many vaccinations have been carried out.
The problem is certainly not a lack of demand for vaccinations. In fact, the opposite is true.
County health departments are being overwhelmed by requests for the shots – so much so that Monday’s official launch of vaccine availability for seniors, police, firefighters and first responders hit immediate snags.
Hiawassee man charged for role in Capitol riot, threatening House Speaker Pelosi
A Towns County man who took part in Wednesday’s assault on the U.S. Capitol is facing federal charges for threatening the life of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
According to a report by the AJC, Cleveland Grover Meredith sent a text message prior to the week’s events where he threatened to put “a bullet in [Pelosi’s] noggin on Live TV,” and another saying he was heading to Washington, D.C. with armor-piercing bullets in tow. A search of Meredith’s truck and trailer revealed an assault rifle, handguns and “hundreds of rounds of ammunition,” according to CNN.
A Georgia town’s current status as a COVID hot spot has left its mark on the local hospital.
Dublin, in Middle Georgia, is now listed as No. 7 among U.S. metro areas in per capita rate of COVID-19 infections over the past two weeks, according to the New York Times.
About one-third of Fairview Park Hospital’s 120 patients had the virus as of Wednesday, and all 16 ICU beds were filled, with six of them COVID-19 patients, said Don Avery, the hospital CEO. All medical and surgical beds also were filled, he added.
“Our county and city have had a pretty big rise since a little before Christmas,’’ Avery said. “People are socializing a lot, especially during the holidays.’’
UPDATE: According to the NGHS appointment scheduled, the appointments for the first round of clinics have been filled.
Northeast Georgia Health System has announced northeast Georgians who are 65 or older can now schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at one of several vaccine events in January.
According to a press release from the Health System, seven COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic events are planned through the end of January, with follow-up events where participants will receive their second dose of the vaccine.
“We are offering as many appointments as possible with the vaccine supply and staffing resources we have available,” said Bobby Norris, vice president of operations for Northeast Georgia Physicians Group in a prepared statement. “We will add more appointments – at more locations – as soon as we can. In the meantime, we appreciate everyone’s patience.”