COVID surge receding but still deadly as eight Dougherty residents succumb during week

ALBANY — The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Phoebe Putney Health System facilities dropped below 60 for the first time in two months this week, but the current surge is not over, medical professionals warned.

Over the past week, eight Dougherty County residents died from complications of the disease, and 14 patients remained on ventilators on Friday. Of the 58 patients hospitalized, 51 in Albany and seven in Americus, 18 were being treated in an intensive care unit.

While hospitalizations have dropped by 73 percent since the peak of 214 patients during August, an average of 26 new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed each day over the previous two weeks.

“Certainly we’re happy to see an improvement, but I do want to caution not to get too excited,” Dr. James Black, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s director for emergency services, said during a Friday news conference. “Although we have 58 patients, that is still more than when we were down to single digits. So we’re still in the midst of the surge, although the numbers are improving.”

Since the beginning of the surge in July, the health system has admitted 1,008 patients for treatment for COVID-19, and about 88 percent of those were unvaccinated, officials said.

Over the past 14 days, there have been 367 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the county, and about 175 to 180 are expected to be diagnosed over the next week, Dr. Charles Ruis, health director for Southwest Public Health District 8-2, said.

“That is a sign that this is not a healthy community at this point,” he said. “Some of those people are going to wind up going to the hospital. It’s possible some of those people might lose their lives. It’s way too soon to let our guard down. It’s way too soon to declare victory.”

Dougherty County still lags behind the state in the percentage of residents vaccinated, with 55 percent of Georgians having received at least one dose and 49 percent fully vaccinated, compared to 44 percent fully vaccinated in the county and 49 percent having gotten one dose.

The upcoming holiday season has health officials concerned about another surge in cases, and they urged individuals to get fully vaccinated if they have not already done so and to wear face masks and practice social distancing when out in public.

“We had 365 (deaths), and the trend we are on we’re going to reach 400 before the year is out,” Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]