July 15, 2022 Update

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

High COVID-19 Community Level in Athens-Clarke County

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated Athens-Clarke County's COVID-19 Community Level as High in its latest data report on Thursday, July 14, 2022. The report, which is updated weekly on Thursday nights, previously reported Athens-Clarke County's COVID-19 Community Level as Low as of Thursday, July 7.

Based on the Mayor and Commission's extension of a local declaration of a local state of emergency at their Regular Session on June 14, 2022, masks are required in public spaces and private entities, with some limited exceptions, regardless of vaccination status when Athens-Clarke County is in a high community level. Private entities must opt-in to the mask requirement as per an executive order from the governor. The current local declaration is scheduled to expire on July 20, 2022, unless renewed, amended, or rescinded by the Mayor and Commission.

The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government's (ACCGov) response policy requires all employees and members of the public, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face masks in any indoor, shared, or public ACCGov space and on Transit vehicles when Athens-Clarke County is in a period of high COVID-19 community level. Additionally, internal ACCGov operations during high community levels include capacity limitations for ACCGov buildings, in-person ACCGov meeting limitations, and distancing measures.

CDC looks at the combination of three metrics — new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days — to determine the COVID-19 community level. New COVID-19 admissions and the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied represent the current potential for strain on the health system. Data on new cases acts as an early warning indicator of potential increases in health system strain in the event of a COVID-19 surge. Using these data, the COVID-19 community level is classified as low, medium, or high.

For more information, visit www.accgov.com/coronavirus.

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
Vaccines for children 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.

Saturday, July 16
Marigold Market
115 Parkview Road
Winterville, GA 30683
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
All vaccines

Monday, July 18
Terrapin Mobile Pantry
180 Paradise Blvd.
Athens, GA 30607
10:00 AM - Noon
All vaccines

Tuesday, July 19
Rocksprings (Athens Housing Authority)
300 S Rocksprings Street
Athens, GA 30606
Noon - 6:00 PM
All three adult vaccines, boosters

Tuesday, July 19
Bethel Homes
155 Hickman Drive
Athens GA 30601
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
All three adult, boosters, pediatric vaccines

Wednesday, July 20
Piggly Wiggly
484 North Avenue
Athens, GA 30601
5:00-7:00 PM
All three adult, boosters, pediatric vaccines

Thursday, July 21
Athens Library
2025 Baxter Street
Athens, GA 30606
12:30-6:30 PM
All three adult, boosters, pediatric vaccines

Visit NEHD events website for event updates

Resources:

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

Act Now. Get Boosted.

In March 2022, CDC recommended a second COVID-19 booster for adults ages 50 years and older and people ages 12 years and older who have weakened immune systems. So far, only about 28% of adults ages 50 years and older with a first booster dose have received a second booster dose. This means that millions of people are now six or seven months past their first booster and could be more vulnerable to BA.4 and BA.5, the newest lineages of Omicron.

Data suggest that BA.4 and BA.5 spread more easily than previous Omicron lineages. They’ve been on the rise for weeks, and BA.5 has become the predominant lineage in the United States (see A Closer Look). So more people—even those who might have protection from past infection or vaccination—have gotten COVID-19, and COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates and death rates have risen among older adults.

The good news is that a new CDC study found that second boosters can restore vaccine protection against hospitalization that might have dropped over time. New surveillance data have also shown that second boosters provide additional protection against death from COVID-19 in people ages 50 years and older.

Act now to protect yourself and others around you.

Get boosted if eligible, even if you’ve already had COVID-19, and especially if you’re over age 50 years or have underlying medical conditions.
Monitor your local COVID-19 Community Level and take appropriate prevention measures.
Follow CDC’s testing and isolation guidelines if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms.

As of May 2022, this newsletter is sent to subscribers only on an irregular basis with significant local COVID-19 updates and news.