May 19, 2021 Update

Georgians Age 12 & Older Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccinations

Georgia eligibility is open for everyone 12 years of age and older for the COVID vaccine.

Note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine currently authorized for children aged 12-17.

On Thursday, May 12, 2021 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that endorsed the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and its use in 12- through 15-year-old adolescents. Ages 16 and 17 had already been approved for use of the Pfizer vaccine. CDC now recommends that this vaccine be used among the 12-15 population as well, and providers could begin vaccinating them right away.

Prior to the announcement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had authorized the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use in adolescents 12-15 years of age on Tuesday, May 10, 2021.

There are several ways for residents to find nearby public and private vaccination providers:

Visit vaccines.gov, publichealthathens.com, or accgov.com/coronavirus
Text a zip code to 438829
Call 1-800-232-0233

Coronavirus COVID-19 Update: Mayor and Commission

Ordinance Approved to Amend Hours of Operation for Alcohol Licensees

At their May 18, 2021 Regular Session meeting, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission passed a resolution and an ordinance to amend the code of Athens-Clarke County with respect to hours of operation for alcohol licensees.

The resolution was an amendment to a settlement agreement entered into on August 14, 2020 between the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) and several bar owners to restrict the hours during which the bar owners and other licensees for the sale of alcoholic beverages (e.g., liquor, beer, and wine) by the drink could serve alcohol to customers.

ACCGov agreed to the adoption of the revised bar ordinance due to the benefits identified by the Police Department in the separation of bar crowds from the evening/dining retail crowds to both reduce congestion affecting local businesses and reduce potential COVID-19 transmission that could result from said congestion; due to the recent implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations; and due to the bar owners' agreement to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and co-host a COVID-19 vaccination event.

The parties determined it to be in their mutual interests to enter into an amendment to the settlement agreement and agreed as follows:

1. Promotion of Vaccination Clinic. The bar owners each separately agree to promote a COVID-19 vaccination clinic to take place on a date designated by the Clarke County Health Department to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations.
- A. For a minimum of ten (10) days leading to the event date, the bar owners will promote the event through their social media platforms and paper postings in their respective venues.
- B. On the event date, the bar owners and the Clarke County Health Department, and such other appropriate entities as may be designated by the Clarke County Health Department, will co-host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at a third-party venue designated by the Clarke County Health Department, such as The Classic Center or College Square Plaza, at no cost to the bar owners.
2. The Revised Bar Ordinance. Athens-Clarke County adopted an ordinance effective on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at 12:00 noon that:
- A. changes the hours of operation currently set forth in Athens-Clarke County Code Section 6-3-5(i)(3), (4), and (5) from 7:00 AM until 11:30 PM to 7:00 AM until 2:00 AM; and
- B. changes the time limit for clearing patrons from premises set forth in Athens-Clarke County Code Section 6-3-5(j) from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report

May 19 Case Update for Athens-Clarke County

The Wednesday, May 19 update shows an increase of 39 positive cases and 1 deaths since Wednesday, May 12.

As of May 18, 29.6% of ACC residents were fully vaccinated.

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

May 1, 2021 - 12,752
April 1, 2021 - 12,439
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. The statewide Vaccination Dashboard is available at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3d8eea39f5c1443db1743a4cb8948a9c.

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - Week 39 (May 10-16)

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 May 10 include a total of 66 COVID-19 tests; there was one positive test. The positivity rate was 1.5%.
For the week of May 10, 100% of the tests in the “Other” category were performed in Athens-Clarke and its 5 adjoining counties. No students reported a test done outside of the state. No instructional faculty members 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.

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.