March 24, 2021 Update

Georgians Age 16+ Eligible for COVID Vaccine Beginning Thursday, March 25, 2021

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Governor Brian Kemp announced on March 23, 2021 that the state will expand its COVID vaccine eligibility beginning March 25, 2021, to include all Georgians aged 16 and older. Increased COVID vaccine supply and significant progress in vaccinating Georgia seniors, our most vulnerable population, allows the state to move forward and to ensure all vaccine doses are being put into arms.

Vaccination, along with strict compliance with basic prevention measures - wear a mask, stay six feet from others, avoid large gatherings, wash your hands frequently - will help Georgia stop the spread of COVID-19.

These measures are critically important as SARs-CoV-2 variants continue to circulate and increase in Georgia. Currently, there are 367 confirmed COVID cases with variants statewide; 351 cases with the UK variant (B.1.1.7), 15 cases with the South Africa variant (B.1.351), and 1 case with the Brazil variant (P.1). These variants appear to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19.

Anyone signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should be tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. Follow the advice of your health care provider about what you should do while you wait for your test results. COVID testing not only helps DPH control and mitigate infection, but it also provides valuable information about variants when positive test results are sequenced.

To find a vaccination location or to schedule an appointment, log on to dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine or visit myvaccinegeorgia.com to schedule an appointment at a GEMA mass vaccination site.

Important note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine approved for teens 16 and 17 years old. Please schedule an appointment at CVS, Walgreens, at one of the GEMA mass vaccination sites, or other sites using Pfizer vaccines to ensure it is available.

COVID-19 Response - Relief Efforts Chart - Community

Part of the COVID-19 update at the Work Session on March 9, 2021 included some information about local relief efforts. This chart above showcased some of the funds that have been allocated as part of the local response from local and federal funds. It includes:

Indigent Services (Homeless Assistance / Food Assistance / Resource Distribution): $1.589 million
CARES Act (Financial Assistance / Homeless Assistance / Healthcare Assistance / Food Assistance): $2.043 million
Additional CARES Act Financial Assistance Funding: $225,000
Food Distribution: $1.865 million
CDBG-CV Funding for Financial Assistance: $663,506
Public Health Partnering: $150,000
Economic Relief for Artists: $85,000
Joint Development Authority Emergency Small Business Loans & Grants: $2.6 million
Northeast Georgia Business Alliance Emergency Small Business Grants: $510,000
Athens Community Corps Program: $475,000

Total: $10.2 million

For more information, read the PDF document itself at www.accgov.com/coronavirus [direct link to document].

Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report

March 24 Case Update for Athens-Clarke County

The Wednesday, March 24 update shows an increase of 62 positive cases and 3 deaths since Wednesday, March 17.

For reference, here are the cumulative numbers from the beginning of each month:

March 1, 2021 - 12,004
February 1, 2021 - 11,162
January 1, 2021 - 8,580
December 1 - 6,732
November 1 - 5,872
October 1 - 5,121
September 1 - 3,082
August 1 - 1,694
July 1 - 574
June 1 - 293
May 1 - 155
April 1 - 54
March 1 - 4

The Daily Status Report is now updated once daily at 3:00 p.m. to allow time to process and validate laboratory and case reports. The Daily Status Report is available at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report.

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - Week 31 (March 15-21)

The University of Georgia DawgCheck tool gives members of the campus community the ability to self-monitor and to facilitate information sharing internally and with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). Any student or employee with a positive COVID-19 test is required to report the test in DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

Positive COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck

Visit the UGA Health Center Website with these graphs and other updates.

The table above reflects the total number of positive test results reported through DawgCheck each week. It is updated every Wednesday. Please note the following:

Positive tests reported through DawgCheck are from any of the approximately 50,000 faculty, staff, and students connected to the University of Georgia, whether located in Athens, extended campuses, extension offices across the state, or even other states and countries for students who elected to take online classes.
The totals may include reports from individuals who have not been on campus recently, there may be delays in reporting, and the totals may even include individuals who have recovered.
Therefore, the data does not serve as an accurate barometer of the current status of COVID-19 at any point in time at any one of UGA’s campuses.
Since August 10, UGA has supported surveillance testing (Legion Field) for asymptomatic individuals and clinical (Health Center) testing resources for symptomatic students as a means of distancing the two populations and optimizing the use of Health Center staff and the facility. Because students are showing symptoms when they request a test at the Health Center, it is expected that its tests would have a significantly higher positivity rate than would be the case for those who are asymptomatic when tested.
Results of testing at the University Health Center for the week of March 15 include a total of 133 COVID-19 tests; 7 were positive and 126 were negative. The positivity rate was 5.3%.
For the week of March 15, 50% of the tests in the “Other” category were performed in Athens-Clarke and its 5 adjoining counties, and the remaining 50% were located elsewhere in the state. One student reported a positive test done outside of the state. One instructional faculty member reported a positive test.

DawgCheck and other University of Georgia-related COVID information is available at the University Health Center website at https://uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid-19-health-and-exposure-updates.

Northeast Health District Weekly Report - March 22

The Georgia Department of Public Health's (DPH) Northeast Health District produces a weekly COVID-19 testing report for the 10-county district that covers Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton counties.

The newest weekly report for March 22 was not yet posted as of the time of this newsletter, but will be available online at the Northeast Health District website.

Frequency of Updates

This coronavirus email / text update is sent weekly during normal weeks, usually on Wednesdays, with other updates as necessary with important information.

Questions can still be directed to www.accgov.com/coronavirus, which will be updated regularly, the info line at 706-613-3333, or coronavirus@accgov.com.