New strains of COVID-19 are causing an uptick of cases in Gilmer, as well as other North Georgia Health District counties, the district’s public health director told Gilmer Board of Health members at the board’s quarterly meeting last week.
“I call it an uptick because it’s not really a surge like we’ve seen before,” said health director Dr. Zachary Taylor. “We’re not counting all the cases, primarily because people are testing at home, and those don’t get reported to us. Or they’re not testing at all.”
Taylor described the new COVID variants that are circulating as “very transmissible, but (they) seem to be a little less virulent.” Even so, many are still at risk of being hospitalized with the virus, he added.
“We’ve seen a slight increase in hospitalizations, but nothing like we’ve seen in the past. Our older population, people who have chronic illnesses or people who are immunocompromised are the people we are primarily concerned about,” Taylor said.
The latest COVID booster will be available at the health department, but unlike previous COVID vaccinations, this one will not be fully funded by the federal government, Taylor noted. He added that most insurances, including Medicare, should cover the shot, and there will be other programs to help cover the vaccination cost for people without insurance.
“There will be a charge, (but) we have a program with the state, and I think they’re going to have a bridge program for people who don’t qualify for that program because their income is too high,” Taylor said.
The FDA-approved booster, which was still awaiting approval by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) when the health board met, should be available in about two weeks, Taylor noted. The CDC has since given approval for the booster.
“There’s a difference in the composition of the vaccines, which (cover) the (new) strains more appropriately,” he added.
North Georgia district health departments will also be offering another new vaccine, an RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) shot, this year.
“That’s a viral illness which can cause severe illness in older people. (The vaccine) is approved for persons 60 and older. Whether or not you should take it really should be a discussion with your physician to determine (that),” Taylor said.