Gilmer County is still seeing a high rate of new COVID-19 cases, but that number has declined recently, the director of the North Georgia Health District (NGHD) reported as the Gilmer County Board of Health met via teleconference last Tuesday.
For the past two weeks, 197 cases were reported here, Dr. Zachary Taylor, NGHD director, told Board of Health members.
“That’s a case rate over the last two weeks of 627 per 100,000. Anything above 100 is high. However, there has been a definite downturn in cases over the last three weeks, which is really good news,” Taylor said. “It looks like it’s quite possible that we’re on the backside of this current surge, and we’ll get down to much more manageable levels in our community, which we’re all hoping for.”
Taylor said a total of 3,229 cases of COVID-19 and 91 deaths have been reported in Gilmer County since the pandemic began. The test positivity rate for the past two weeks was 18.1 percent, he added.
About the county’s vaccination rate, Taylor said 43 percent of Gilmer residents have received at least one dose, while 38 percent have been fully vaccinated.
“That compares to 53 percent that have received one dose in Georgia, and 45 percent overall in Georgia that are fully vaccinated,” he added.
Taylor commended the staff of health departments in Gilmer and the five other health district counties for their work in the ongoing vaccination effort.
“They do an incredible job, and it’s much appreciated. (They’ve) been doing a great job getting out into the community and vaccinating people,” he added. “We’ve really done a good job of vaccinating the older population in Gilmer County. It’s the younger population we’re still having trouble reaching.”
If FDA approval is given for COVID booster shots, the local health department will give them at a location that can accommodate a larger turnout, Taylor noted.
“We expect there will be a lot of demand from the older population. We’re ready to meet that demand,” he added.
If that go-ahead is given, the third dose vaccinations will be done at the Piedmont Community Center, noted Krystal Sumner, the health department’s nurse manager.
Sumner told BOH members the local health department’s year-end numbers show 34,039 patients were seen from July 2020-July 2021.
COVID testing was a factor in that increased number, which is more than triple the amount of patients seen at the health department in July 2019-July 2020, she added.
As of Sept. 7, the local health department’s staff had given 18,207 COVID vaccines, Sumner said. Continued vaccination outreach in the county includes visiting homebound patients and vaccinating patents and staff at Parkside Skilled Nursing Care. Booster shots are also being given to immunocompromised nursing home residents, she added.
The Pilgrim’s poultry plant continues to be the health department’s strongest community vaccination partner, hosting weekly vaccinations of employees and their families. COVID and standard childhood vaccines were given to students and families during recent open houses at Clear Creek Middle and Gilmer High School, Sumner noted.
“We also opened up one week every month over the summer specifically to Pfizer vaccines for children age 12 and older and school employees. After the beginning of the school year, we hosted a day specifically for school employees and family members so they could come get their COVID vaccine,” she added.
COVID vaccinations are still available on a walk-in basis during the health department’s normal operating hours. Booster shots are currently being given only to patients with certain immunocompromising conditions, Sumner said.
“We have a list of (those) conditions. If someone has one of those, they can receive the vaccine on a walk-in basis,” she added.
MAKO Medical continues to provide COVID testing in the parking lot of the Gilmer County Civic Center Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Testing is also offered at the health department only for symptomatic school system employees, first responders and court personnel Monday-Friday, from 8-9 a.m., Sumner noted.