Officials cautiously optimistic COVID 'finish line' is in sight

Feb. 27—ALBANY — For months, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas has been likening the fight against the novel coronavirus to a marathon — not a sprint.

While COVID-19, which burst upon the scene in Dougherty County exactly a year ago, continues to take a toll in terms of serious illness and deaths, the finish line may be in sight.

Thousands of southwest Georgia residents are being vaccinated daily at state and local facilities in Albany, and the number of hospitalizations has been on a steep downward trajectory for weeks.

On Friday, there were a total of 51 patients hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 at Phoebe Putney Health System facilities, 39 in Albany and 12 at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus. That total is about half the number of those who were in intensive care units during the worst of the post-holiday surge in cases.

As of Friday, 12 Dougherty County residents had died of the disease during the month of February, bringing the total to 271 during the pandemic. More than 510,000 Americans have died over the past year.

Acknowledging the positive trend, Dr. James Black, director of emergency medicine at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, said it is not time to declare victory just yet.

"The number is still not zero, and we can't be complacent," he said during a Friday news conference with medical and elected officials. "We'll take the good news, but we don't want to let our foot off the gas."

During the news conference, speakers urged residents to take advantage of the availability of vaccination sites in the city. Phoebe has administered more than 33,000 shots since it began its vaccination program in December.

Shots also are being offered by the Georgia Department of Public Health through its 14 health departments in southwest Georgia, Albany Area Primary Health Care, and as of last week, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.

As of the middle of last week, Southwest Health District 8-2 had administered more than 33,000 vaccinations in the 14 counties it serves.

With an order issued last week by Gov. Brain Kemp, the vaccine will become available to more state residents beginning March 8. At that time, the vaccination will be available to public and private school educators and school staff, adults with developmental disabilities and their caregivers, and parents with children who have complex medical conditions.

Medical professionals have reported that there have been no severe allergic reactions locally to the two available vaccines.

The vaccines provide protection but do not contain the coronavirus, Black said.

"There have been no (local) deaths that have been tied directly to the vaccine," he said. "But we all know people who have died from the coronavirus."

Beginning Monday, residents who qualify to receive a vaccine beginning March 8 can start making appointments through public health, Dr. Charles Ruis, director of the Albany-based health district, said. Most school systems in the area have developed plans to have personnel vaccinated through various providers.

The weekend marked an anniversary for the pandemic here in Dougherty County, Ruis said. The first case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed on the last weekend of February 2020.

Since that time, there have been advances in treating the disease and the vaccines are bringing additional weapons to the fight, Ruis said.

"We have choices we did not have a year ago," he said. "We choose masking, social distancing, staying home when we're sick.

"It's our choice to get vaccinated when we're eligible. The vaccine is free. More than 30 million Americans have taken it. There have been no deaths from it."

Ruis, after Black had referenced some of the more ridiculous rumors about vaccines, encouraged people to keep an open mind and make their choices based on the best information the medical community is providing.

"It's hard to let go of beliefs you've had for months and months and months," Ruis said. "We'd ask you to reconsider. The choice is life and death, if you're willing to look around at your friends and neighbors."

The vaccines bring an opportunity for Dougherty County to begin recovery and return to a more normal life after it was at one time the third hardest-hit area in the world, Cohilas said during the news conference. Vaccinations offer the chance for businesses struggling due to the pandemic to begin recovering as well.

"Today, to me, marks a special day when we are truly seeing tremendous progress in a community that has seen so much," he said. "We are truly beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Literally, as I stand here, Dougherty County is in the top five in vaccinated counties in the state of Georgia. That is a tremendous accomplishment, especially for a county our size. This county has demonstrated one thing from the beginning: We are strong, and we are resilient."