Dougherty County notes increase in new coronavirus cases

ALBANY — A mask ordinance for the city of Albany has kicked back into effect as an uptick in new COVID-19 cases has meant more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus and more hospitalizations.

A Wednesday call among representatives of the joint Albany-Dougherty County COVID-19 Task Force revealed that the number of patients hospitalized for treatment at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital has more than doubled in recent weeks, participants said.

On Wednesday, there were 48 patients hospitalized, up from a trend that ran through October and early November that was in the low- to mid-20s. The number of patients being treated from other regions has remained steady during that time at about 10 to 12, so the new patients are local residents.

An order from Gov. Brain Kemp allows cities and counties to enforce face mask ordinances in the event the number of cases in a community exceeds the threshold of an average of more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents over the preceding 14-day period.

Dougherty County hit that mark when there were 103 cases per 100,000 in population, and on Wednesday the 14-day average stood at 128, Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said. However, a health official on the call warned the true number may be much higher due to the delay in adding numbers of new positive test results from private clinics and physicians to the state’s count, he said.

“You’ve got seven patients on ventilators (Wednesday),” Dorough said during a phone interview. “Last Wednesday you had one. Clearly, what we have here is an increased spread of the virus, which was predicted to occur after the holiday (Thanksgiving).”

The Albany City Commission passed its ordinance, which requires the wearing of masks in most public places. Businesses can “opt out” of the requirement by placing signage outside alerting potential customers that masks are not required inside.

At the time commissioners approved the measure on Sept. 3 by a 4-3 vote, the number of cases were at 170 per 100,000 in population.

Prior to this week, the ordinance had not been in effect for about six weeks as the number of cases were below the triggering threshold.

The idea of the ordinance is not punitive, Dorough said.

“Police officers are instructed to approach people who are not wearing a mask and ask them to wear a mask and provide them with a mask if they do not have one,” he said.

In extreme cases, police can issue a citation that carries a $25 fine for a first offense and $50 for second and subsequent offenses.

“Hopefully, people will realize, with the infection rate rising that they need to take precautions,” Dorough said.

Obviously, many people have developed what has been termed “COVID fatigue” and are weary of the restrictions, but the coming months are expected to bring an increase in cases as colder weather drives people indoors for greater amounts of time. The arrival of the flu season is also a concern as a rash of hospitalizations for that disease, coupled with an increase in COVID-19 cases, could overwhelm medical personnel and facilities.

While the recent holiday is likely responsible for some of the uptick in new cases and hospitalizations, the trend started shortly before then when it began rising on Nov. 23.

“Maybe the surge finally caught up with us,” said Ben Roberts, Phoebe’s director of public relations and communications. “Most of the country has been surging for a couple of months, and I think that finally caught up with us.”

File Photo: Carlton Fletcher