January 12, 2022 Update

COVID-19 Updates - Courts and Courthouse

Jury Trials for Superior & State Courts Cancelled through January 21

As COVID-19 cases continue to spike upwards due to the Omicron variant, trials for both State and Superior Courts will be cancelled through January 21, 2022.

Grand Jury (green colored summons) will still meet. Only jury trials will be paused. Courts will remain open for scheduled hearings.

CDC Expands Booster Shot Eligibility & Strengthens Recommendations for 12-17 Year Olds

On Wednesday, January 5, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation to expand eligibility of booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old.

CDC now recommends that adolescents age 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.

Data show that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen protection against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. ACIP reviewed the available safety data following the administration of over 25 million vaccine doses in adolescents; COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

At this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 12-17.

For more information, visit www.cdc.gov.

COVID-19 Cases, Admissions, Deaths & Vaccinations in Athens-Clarke County

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - (Jan. 3-9)

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.

For the week of January 3, there were 804 reported positive COVID-19 tests through DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

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 do 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, 2020 UGA has supported surveillance testing 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.
For the week of January 3, 2022, the University Health Center conducted a total of 292 clinical tests, with 139 positive results, for a positivity rate of 48%.
Results of asymptomatic testing for the week of January 3, 2022: 1,620 tests (10% faculty, 30% staff & 60% students) had 216 positive results for a positivity rate of 13.3%.

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.

Clarke County School District COVID-19 Dashboard - January 12, 2022

The CCSD COVID-19 Dashboard displays positive cases in the past 14 days and 30 days across the district and by each school, with hourly updates.

As of 4:45 PM on January 12, 2022, the dashboard shows:

596 confirmed cases in January 2022 (114 on Jan. 5 report)
49 confirmed cases in December 2021
33 confirmed cases in November 2021
71 confirmed cases in October 2021
312 confirmed cases in September 2021
617 confirmed cases in the past 30 days (154 on Jan. 5 report)
598 new confirmed cases in the past two weeks (119 on Jan. 5 report)
4.1% of students and staff with confirmed cases in the last 30 days (1.1% on Jan. 5 report)
No reporting data of students and staff currently in quarantine (0.1% on Dec. 29 report)

Clarke County School District COVID-19 Dashboard

Free COVID-19 Mobile Vaccine Events

Below are some upcoming opportunities for free vaccinations from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Northeast Health District (NEHD) at mobile locations. (Schedules subject to change by NEHD - verify information on the NEHD website.)

No appointment needed
Walk-ups welcome
No insurance required
No ID required
$100 gift card incentive program for eligible participants
Vaccines for 5 to 11-year-olds are available at the county health department clinics – they may not be available via the mobile outreach events unless specifically noted.
Anyone under 18 years of age MUST have a parent present or a signed consent form.

Thursday, January 13
Clarke Bethel Midtown Village
155 Hickman Drive Athens, GA 30601
1:00-4:00 PM
Pediatric (5-11 years old) Doses Available

Saturday, January 15
Clarke Highland Greens Mobile Home Park
950 Danielsville Rd, Athens, GA 30601
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Pediatric (5-11 years old) Doses Available

Monday, January 17
MLK Day at Triangle Plaza
Triangle Plaza between Vine St & Nellie B Ave
2:00-6:00 PM
Pediatric (5-11 years old) Doses Available

School COVID Vaccine Events

None currently scheduled (check site for updates)

Parents who wish to have their child vaccinated at a school-based event must return a signed consent form.

The Athens-Clarke County COVID-19 vaccine incentive program provides $100 gift cards for those who live, work or attend school in Athens-Clarke County.

If you have previously (on or after September 3) received your first dose at the Clarke County Health Department or one of their outreach events, you are still eligible for the incentive for your second dose at either mobile events or the Health Department.

Gift cards are available from the Northeast Health District to first-time vaccinated individuals only at mobile vaccination events.

Upcoming event listings are updated every Friday online on the NEHD website

Resources:

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines at bit.ly/NEHDCOVIDVaccine.
PublicHealthIsForEveryone.com
Clarke County Health Department on Facebook