COVID-19 vaccine providers in Bulloch County have received 1,500 more doses since Wednesday and East Georgia Regional Medical Center announced it is now scheduling a limited number of vaccine appointments.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 6,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been shipped, as of Friday, to the 13 Bulloch providers that are eligible to deliver vaccinations. On Wednesday, only 5,100 were reported shipped.
While it is not known how many of the 6,600 doses have been administered in Bulloch, the Department of Health reports Georgia has given 591,438 shots of the 958,000 vaccine doses Pfizer and Moderna have shipped to the state.
That’s far short of the 2 million Georgians now eligible for the vaccine and who will need two doses each.
Gov. Brian Kemp said officials will move “as quickly as we can” to distribute vaccines if Georgia’s current allotment of 120,000 doses per week increases with the new president.
“I can’t control the supply we’re getting,” Kemp said at a news conference Thursday. “But if we get more … we will do everything in our power to empower not only the government, but also private-sector partners to get this vaccine in people’s arms.”
East Georgia Regional Medical Center received 500 more vaccine doses this week, and Erin Spillman, director of Marketing for the hospital, said EGRMC is offering COVID vaccine.
“We have been scheduling appointments and vaccinating those eligible since January 15,” she said. “Those who are eligible may call (912) 486-1811. We have a limited supply, however we will continue to vaccinate as we receive shipments from the state. Appointments will be made in the order of calls received.”
The hospital has, so far, received 1,300 of the 2,000 vaccines it requested.
Other Bulloch providers saw significant supply increases since Wednesday, as well. Forest Heights Pharmacy and The Prescription Shop each received 300 more doses, while McCook’s Pharmacy got 200. Family Health Care Center, however, has not received any of the 2,000 it requested and Georgia Southern University Student Health Services has received only 100 of the 1,600 vaccines requested.
Spillman and Len McCook with McCook’s Pharmacy said they receive 24-hours-notice when a new shipment is on the way.
Also, Spillman said “a large number of employees and staff” at East Georgia have been vaccinated.
“There are no requirements for staff to be vaccinated,” she said. “We continue to vaccinate staff members who choose to get the vaccine.”
Bulloch records 59 cases
Meanwhile, new COVID cases hit a four-month high Friday for a single day when 59 cases were reported, said Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn. It is the most since 103 were reported on Sept. 7.
With 17 new confirmed cases Thursday and the 59 on Friday, Bulloch now has 4,344 total COVID cases, which have resulted in 42 deaths and 176 local residents being hospitalized since the pandemic began in March.
While Georgia has seen new cases drop from its single-day record high of 10,386 on Jan. 8 to 6,515 on Friday, deaths caused by coronavirus continue to stay well-above an average of 100 per day. Georgia reported 162 deaths Friday – the second worst day ever – and 583 people have died in the past four days.
With 5,965 new cases on Thursday and 6,515 on Friday, the state's total number of confirmed cases surpassed 700,000 and is now up to 707,750.
On Tuesday, the state set a single-day record with 169 deaths, followed by 105 more on Thursday and 162 on Friday, pushing the total to 11,670 deaths since March.
Hospitalizations
Wynn said East Georgia Regional Medical Center staff on Friday were caring for 20 COVID patients, with eight patients on ventilators. It was the first day since Dec. 21 that the hospital had dropped below 21 COVID patients in its care.
COVID cases across the state of Georgia that require hospitalization decreased from 5,905 on hospitalized on Tuesday to 5,747 on Tuesday.
Across the United States, cases that require hospitalization continue a decline that began after hitting a peak on Jan. 6 of 132,474 Americans in the hospital with COVID. On Thursday, hospitalizations had dropped to 119,927 – the ninth consecutive day with a decrease.
National case numbers
According to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, as of Friday afternoon, 412,780 Americans had died from coronavirus. Also, Johns Hopkins reported the U.S. has had 24,762,793 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
Bulloch Schools
The Bulloch County Schools system has reported 44 new cases this week for a total of 388 COVID cases since classes started on Aug. 17.
Local colleges
Georgia Southern University reported it had 108 cases for the week of Jan. 11-17 – 84 self-reported and 24 university confirmed cases. Georgia Southern next reports on Monday.
East Georgia State College reported five new cases on its three campuses on Tuesday, including four on the Statesboro campus. The college has had a total of 137 cases across its three campuses since Aug. 17.
Ogeechee Technical College reported 10 new cases for the week of Jan. 11-17. The new cases include five students and two employees on the Statesboro campus. Ogeechee Tech has had a total of 53 cases across its campuses since Aug. 17.
Testing sites
The Bulloch County Health Department, 1 W. Altman St. in Statesboro, continues to serve as a COVID-19 testing site, or specimen point of collection. It operates 8 a.m. till 11:30 a.m. on Mondays only. To schedule a free test, call (855) 473-4374 or visit www.sehdph.org/covid-19, where a test can be scheduled online.
COVID-19 testing operated by Mako Medical is available at Luetta Moore Park, 585 Martin Luther King Drive.
Testing schedule: Monday, Wednesday – 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday – 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday – 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; second & fourth Saturday of each month – 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
To register, visit https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/