March 16, 2022 Update

St. Mary’s marks 2^nd Anniversary of Start of COVID-19 Pandemic

St. Mary’s Health Care System observed the second anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11 by planting a combined total of more than 2,700 white flags on the lawns of its hospitals in Athens, Lavonia and Greensboro. Each flag honors an inpatient with COVID-19 who received care at the three hospitals over the past two years.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.

At St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, colleagues and volunteers were joined by the Franklin family from Monticello: Ronnie, Angela and Dorothy. Ronnie spent 112 days in four hospitals fighting COVID, including St. Mary’s; his mother, Dorothy, spent 71 days at St. Mary’s fighting the disease, and Ronnie’s wife, Angela, worked to be as close and supportive as possible as her loved ones fought for life.

“I’m so thankful to be here,” Ronnie said, noting that he and Dorothy continue to have shortness of breath as a result of their long battle with the disease. “I’m grateful we’re alive.”

In all, colleagues, volunteers and guests planted nearly 1,500 flags at St. Mary’s, nearly 800 at Sacred Heart, and more than 400 at Good Samaritan.

“We recognize those who were not only hospitalized but passed away from COVID due to the severity of their infection," noted system President and CEO Montez Carter. “These deaths have been tragic for the families and hard on our staff, who not only provide exceptional care but also serve as the eyes, ears, hands and hearts of family members who cannot be with their loved ones while they are in the hospital.

“There are countless stories of nurses facilitating Zoom calls, printing and hanging up pictures, helping patients record voice messages, and moving beds so patients could wave to loved ones through the window,” he noted.

Mask Use on Public Transportation

At CDC’s recommendation, TSA will extend the security directive order for mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs for one month, through April 18, 2022.

During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to develop a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in on public transportation.

This revised framework will be based on:

COVID-19 Community Levels
Risk of new variants
National data
Latest science on COVID-19

CDC does not require wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.

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

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - (March 7-11)

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 March 7, there were 12 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 March 7, 2022, the University Health Center conducted a total of 24 clinical tests, with 0 positive results, for a positivity rate of 0%.
Results of asymptomatic testing for the week of March 7-11: 95 tests (17% faculty, 42% staff & 41% students) had 0 positive results for a positivity rate of 0%.

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 - March 16, 2022

The CCSD COVID-19 Dashboard displays positive cases in the past 7, 14 and 30 days across the district and by each school, with hourly updates.

As of 5:20 PM on March 16, 2022, the dashboard shows:

Less than 10 cases in March 2022
180 cases in February 2022
1,532 cases in January 2022
49 cases in December 2021
33 cases in November 2021
71 cases in October 2021
312 cases in September 2021
47 cases in the past 30 days (91 on March 9 report)
<10 cases in the past 14 days (<10 on March 9 report)
<10 cases in the past 7 days (<10 on March 9 report)
1.9% of students and staff with cases in the last 30 days (1.9% on March 9 report)
0.2% of students and staff with cases in the last 14 days (0.2% on March 9 report)
0.2% of students and staff with cases in the last 7 days (0.1% on March 2 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, March 17
Bethel Midtown
155 Hickman Drive Athens, GA 30601
Noon – 3:00pm
All adult, boosters, pediatric vaccines

Saturday, March 19
Rhema Christian Fellowship
WOW Church
1850 Danielsville Rd, Athens, GA 30601
9:00 AM – Noon
All three adult, boosters, and pediatric vaccines

Visit NEHD events website for updates

School COVID Vaccine Events

None currently scheduled
Visit NEHD events website 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