Augusta and other large cities got a boost in their COVID-19 vaccinations numbers this week after a state cleanup of data prompted by The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta's numbers would probably look even better if they included the nearly 19,000 shots given out by the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, which has pursued an aggressive strategy to vaccinate veterans and staff. Even with better numbers, Augusta providers are facing decreasing demand and are starting to look at new ways to gets shots into arms. Richmond and Columbia counties both saw a big boost in numbers from the previous week, with Richmond adding 15,651 shots and Columbia with 13,742 more. The rates for both counties jumped up, with Richmond County moving from 18% of adults having received at least one shot to 24% and Columbia County increasing from 22% to 28%. Fully vaccinated rates increased for both, from 16% to 19% in Richmond and from 19% to 22% for Columbia. Most of Georgia's other metro areas saw similar boosts in numbers, lead by 218,460 added in Fulton County and 145,771 more in DeKalb County, according to