Phoebe’s number of COVID-19 patients falls below 100 at hospitals

ALBANY — For the first time in weeks, Phoebe Putney Health System’s COVID caseload has dropped below 100, a significant marker in southwest Georgia’s battle against the disease.

The hospital is now admitting more patients for non-COVID illnesses than patients who are positive for the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, there were 64 Covid-positive patients at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, 20 at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center and one at Phoebe Worth Medical Center.

“Today, throughout our hospitals, we are caring for 99 patients who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are patients under investigation for the virus,” Phoebe Health System CEO Scott Steiner said. “While we are grateful that number has finally dipped below 100, it remains a significant number, and we continue to devote extraordinary resources to caring for those patients.”

As of Wednesday 80 COVID patients had died in Albany and 22 in Americus.

Dougherty County’s deaths through the crisis totaled 120 on Wednesday, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said. Fowler’s numbers include Dougherty County residents who died at Phoebe, at a residence or hospice and at hospitals outside the county.

Of the total patients tested by Phoebe, 2,292 have tested positive and 4,685 tested negative. An additional 115 patients were awaiting test results.

Some 1,730 have recovered, either at home or at the hospital.

Phoebe reported on Wednesday that over the previous 24 hours, it had received 134 test results, of which 27 were positive and 107 were negative.

“Our environmental services teams are doing exceptional work to clean and disinfect hospital units where COVID-19 patients have been cared for,” Steiner said. “We are going above and beyond guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we’re thankful that the National Guard has sent specialized teams to help us clean other areas throughout our health system to ensure that we safely care for every patient we have the privilege of serving.”

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