Dougherty County sees youngest, oldest COVID-19 victims in four-day period

ALBANY — Dougherty County recorded its youngest victim in the coronavirus crisis with the death this week of a 26-year-old resident.

As of Tuesday, there have been 130 deaths of coronavirus-positive residents over eight weeks, according to Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler.

The oldest victim, a 104-year-old, died on Saturday. Both were black females, Fowler said.

The hardest-hit age group among county residents is those in their 60s, with 40 deaths, or nearly a third of those who have died with COVID-19. The average age of those who have died is 71.

While Phoebe Putney Health System continues to see an overall decline in new admissions of COVID-19 patients, the virus continues to spread in the community, Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said during a Tuesday news conference.

With the necessity of re-opening the county’s economy, officials are encouraging residents here to take advantage of no-cost testing.

As of this week, some 9,000 county residents, about 15 percent, have been tested, according to figures compiled from all testing sites by City Manager Sharon Subadan, Dorough said.

As widespread testing is taking place, the number of positive test results is falling from the high rate that was the case early on.

Dorough also encouraged residents in other nearby counties to get tested so they can have a true picture of the extent of the spread of the virus in their communities.

A Georgia National Guard testing site, located behind the Albany Civic Center, is open for residents of Dougherty County and other southwest Georgia counties from 2-6 p.m. seven days a week.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is now performing contact tracing of those who test positive, which is important in continuing the battle against the virus in the long term, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said.

That means those who test positive will be notified and asked to identify others with whom they have been in close contact. In turn, those identified will be notified to shelter in place and avoid contact with others to avoid the potential of further spread of the coronavirus.

More testing “is showing us this: While we are going to continue to admit people to the hospital, that’s going to continue to happen — what is fascinating is we are demonstrating a larger percentage of negative tests,” Cohilas said. “That is remarkably outstanding compared to when the mayor and I were standing in front of you seven or eight weeks ago.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to take steps before we get there.”

With the reality that life is returning to a “new normal” and necessity of people getting back to work to support their families, it is still important to keep up the practices that have led to the decline in new cases, the chairman said. Businesses and churches are making decisions on re-opening, but people should continue to practice social distancing measures and wear masks while out in public, and those who are most vulnerable should continue to stay home.

As of Tuesday, Phoebe reported a total of 73 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 60 in Albany and 13 at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center. That was down from 82 on Monday. However, there were three deaths reported at Phoebe facilities over the previous 24 hours.

Phoebe is donating 50,000 masks to the community for the “Mask Up Albany” campaign to help slow the spread of the disease, health system CEO Scott Steiner said.

“The virus is still active in our community, and wearing masks is one of the best ways to reduce the potential for transmission,” he said. “That’s why Phoebe is supporting the efforts of city and county leaders to provide reusable masks to every person in Dougherty County.

“We’ve already sent 5,000 to our partners at Albany Area Primary Health Care, who are assisting in this effort to ensure our community has access to this vital protective equipment. The remainder of the masks will be given to our patients and distributed through other organizations, and Phoebe plans to buy more masks to help protect the public in the near future.”

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