The Northeast Health District added 411 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Friday and two new confirmed death attributed to the disease. One of the deaths was in Clarke County.
The 411 added cases of COVID-19 and two deaths compare with the 245 new cases and no confirmed death added in the week ending July 16.
The average of 58.7 new cases per day for the week ending on Friday compares with the average of 35.0 new cases per day for the week ending on July 16.
Oconee County added 25 cases in the week ending on Friday, and Clarke County added 95.
In the week ending on July 16, Oconee County added 10 cases and Clarke County added 55.
The seven-day rolling average of added cases in Oconee County on Friday per 100,000 population was 8.6, and it was 10.3 in Clarke County.
A week ago those rolling averages had been 3.8 in Oconee County and 6.1 in Clarke County.
The unstandardized rolling average in Oconee County on Friday was 3.6 cases, compared with 13.4 cases in Clarke County. Those figures had been 1.6 in Oconee County and 7.9 in Clarke County a week earlier.
These data are from the Friday Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health.
Confirmed Deaths
The Clarke County death was of a 73-year-old female with a chronic condition, the 143rd confirmed death from COVID-19 in the county since the pandemic began in February of 2020.
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The second added confirmed death was of a 77-year-old male in Jackson County, also with a chronic condition.
That death brings to 140 the number in Jackson County attributed to COVID-19.
The 10-county Northeast Health District now has 947 confirmed deaths from the disease.
The Northeast Health District had 94 “probable” deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, the same as a week earlier.
University, Long-Term Care, Hospital Reports
The University of Georgia on Wednesday, in its COVID-19 Health and Exposure Update, reported 12 positive COVID-19 tests.
The University had reported one positive COVID-19 test last week.
The University reported that 148 asymptomatic individuals were tested at the University Health Center, up from 85 a week earlier, and two of the tests came back positive.
This was the first week since May 10 when a surveillance test came back positive.
The Department of Community Health has discontinued release of its Long-Term Care Facility Report.
While no announcement has been made, the link to the Long-Term Care Facility Report on the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report home page produces the message “Access denied,” as it has in recent weeks.
The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that the number of COVID-19 patients at area hospitals was 32, the number of ICU beds in use was 65, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 37.
On Friday a week earlier, the number of COVID-19 patients was 24, the number of ICU beds in use was 49, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 29.
Vaccine Updates
According to the raw data behind the Department of Public Health Vaccine Distribution Dashboard for Friday, 37.4 percent of the residents of the Northeast Health District had at least one dose of a vaccine on Friday and 34.6 percent were fully vaccinated.
Last week, those figures were only slightly lower--37.0 with at least one dose and 34.2 fully vaccinated.
In the 10-county Northeast Health District, Oconee County continues to have the highest rate of residents with at least one dose (49.5 percent) and the highest percentage fully vaccinated (46.5 percent).
Clarke County has 40.9 percent of its residents with at least one dose and 38.0 percent fully vaccinated.
The figures are only slightly changed from a week ago, when Oconee County had 49.2 percent of its residents with at least one dose and 46.1 percent fully vaccinated.
A week ago, 40.6 percent of Clarke County’s residents had at least one dose of the vaccines, and 37.6 percent were fully vaccinated.
Differing Population Estimates
These vaccination percentages for Oconee and Clarke counties are different from those shown on the Vaccine Distribution Dashboard.
I have used the population estimates reported by the Department of Public Health in the Daily Status Report rather than the lower population estimates that the Department of Public Health uses in the Vaccine Distribution Dashboard.
The Department of Public Health does not explain why it uses the lower population estimates for the vaccine reports and the higher population estimates for the COVID-19 case reports.
It is impossible to know what the more accurate population estimate is, pending release of the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data, but the current use of the two sets of estimates lowers the COVID-19 case incident reports by population and increases the vaccination reports by population.
If the Vaccine Dashboard estimates are used, Oconee County now has 50.8 percent of its population fully vaccinated, and Clarke County has 39.0 percent of its population fully vaccinated.
This slightly higher figure is frequently cited because it is the one being reported on the Department of Public Health Vaccine Distribution Dashboard.
Oconee County added 302 new vaccinations in the last seven days ending on Friday, compared with 259 added the week earlier.
Clarke County added 836 new vaccinations in the last seven days, compared with 830 a week earlier.
State, National Comparisons
Georgia continues to be among the states with the lowest percentage of its population fully vaccinated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia had only 38.0 percent of its population fully vaccinated on Friday. That figure had been 37.5 on July 16.
Only six states, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Wyoming, Louisiana, and Idaho, have lower percentages.
Nationally, the percentage of persons fully vaccinated was 48.9 on Friday.
The figure is 67.2 in Vermont, the state with the highest rate of full vaccination.
At present, the vaccine is being administered only to those 12 years old and older.
Nationally, 57.2 percent of the population 12 or older is vaccinated.
That figure is 44.9 percent in Georgia, the eighth lowest among the states.
Once again, Vermont has the highest vaccination rate for those 12 plus in age at 76.1percent.
1 comment:
I have anecdotal evidence undocumented workers could have covid. They likely aren't being tested nor getting the vaccine. We will never get out of this if we can't control the mutating virus. People are resisting the COVID19 vaccine for lots of reasons, mostly from misinformation and lies. Bottom line, it is affecting all of us even the vaccinated. This is going to continue to be a disaster until we collectively do something about it. Until then, we lead a chaotic life with rolling waves of the virus.
Linda Exum
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