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Southeast Health District Pauses Scheduling Vaccine Appointments

The Southeast Health District has released a statement regarding a temporary pause on COVID vaccine appointments.
Kelsie Posey
Kelsie Posey
012521Bulloch County COVID-19 Report 010521

The Southeast Health District has released a statement regarding a temporary pause on COVID vaccine appointments. The statement follows:

"At this time, the Southeast Health District is pausing the scheduling of COVID-19 vaccine appointments across our district. We are doing this to ensure adequate vaccine supply for the currently scheduled appointments. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, vaccine supply is limited in the U.S., and the state of Georgia only receives what the federal government allocates. If you have a scheduled appointment to receive your first or second dose, you will not be affected by this change unless contacted otherwise."

Providers are asking for citizens who who need a second dose to PLEASE NOT CALL providers unless you are within THREE days of your vaccines second dose timeline. For Moderna the minimum is 28 days from first dose and for Phizer the minimum is 21 days after your first dose. Vaccines & supplies are increasing and there should be plenty for everyone to receive their second dose.

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BULLOCH VACCINE LOCATIONS:

VACCINE TIPS

  • DO NOT WALK INTO PROVIDERS EXPECTING A VACCINE
  • YOU MUST HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET VACCINATED
  • DO NOT CALL PROVIDERS TO SCHEDULE A SECOND VACCINE APPOINTMENT. THE PROVIDER WILL CALL YOU TO SCHEDULE YOUR SECOND DOSE APPOINTMENT
  • CONTACT PROVIDERS ONLY IF YOU ARE WITHIN 3 DAYS OF YOUR VACCINES SECOND DOSE DUE DATE AND HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE PROVIDER
  • PHIZER DUE DATE IS A MINIMUM OF 21 DAYS FROM YOUR FIRST DOSE AND
  • MODERNA DUE DATE IS RECOMMENDED A MINIMUM OF 28 DAYS FOR THE SECOND DOSE
  • SUPPLIES ARE INCREASING - PLEASE BE PATIENT - EVERYONE WILL BE VACCINATED
Vaccines

Bulloch COVID Testing Options

Local doctors' offices and urgent cares can provide PCR COVID testing and some have rapid testing capability. However, only a few are providing the rapid test to the general public and the price for testing varies based on insurance from $85 to $175 for rapid testing locally.

LUETTA MOORE PARK and East Georgia Heath Care, which is a federally subsidized clinic, are the two free options for PCR testing. DPH only offers PCR testing and they require you to complete an online questionnaire to determine eligibility for testing.

SCHEDULE LUETTA MOORE PARK FREE COVID-19 TEST

East Georgia Health Care - PCR - FREE, Rapid Antigen testing - $40

Statesboro Urgent Care - PCR, Rapid Antigen testing - $85 with Nurse visit/$125 with doctor visit

Statesboro Total Health - PCR, Rapid Antigen testing and Rapid Molecular testing

Applecare - PCR, Rapid Antigen and Rapid Molecular testing

 

South Georgia Immediate Care - which is now St. Joseph's Urgent Care - PCR, Rapid Antigen testing

WHITE HOUSE COVID TASK FORCE BULLOCH RECOMMENDATIONS:

CLICK HERE FOR Region J Hospital Bed and Ventilator Usage

Act as though EVERYONE is Positive in Bulloch County

This is definitely the case now in Bulloch County. Local leaders are pleading with ALL Bulloch counties to operate for the next few weeks as if EVERYONE you come in contact with is positive. It is imperative that we all wear masks, avoid crowds and social distance. Please reconsider gathering with large groups including church and funerals.

Bulloch County Report

  • 18 COVID positives reported today. This includes 17 PCR positives and 1 rapid antigen positives.
  • 69 deaths which include 43 PCR test positive & 26 Rapid positive deaths reported for Bulloch
  • 21 at EGRMC with COVID-19 (May or may not be Bulloch County residents.)
  • 6 COVID-19 patients on vents at EGRMC
  • Bulloch County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 423 and 7 day average of percent of positive tests is 16.8%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive tests at 5% or below) THESE ONLY INCLUDE PCR TEST - DPH DOES NOT INLCUDE ANITIGEN POSITIVES IN DAILY REPORT BY COUNTY. YOU SHOULD ASSUME THE NUMBERS ARE WORSE THAN DPH IS REPORTING.
  • EGRMC has 17 total vents.  However, this is reporting only COVID-19 patients on vents.  It is unknown how many actual vents are in use at this time at EGRMC

Candler County Report:

  • 0 COVID positives reported today. This includes 0 PCR positives and 0 rapid antigen positives
  • 38 total deaths which include 28 PCR positive and 10 rapid positive
  • Candler County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 341 and the 7 day average of percent of positive tests is 27.4%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive tests at 5% or below) THESE ONLY INCLUDE PCR TEST - DPH DOES NOT INLCUDE ANITIGEN POSITIVES IN DAILY REPORT BY COUNTY. YOU SHOULD ASSUME THE NUMBERS ARE WORSE THAN DPH IS REPORTING.

Evans County Report:

  • 1 COVID positives reported today. This includes 1 PCR positives and 0 rapid antigen positives
  • 16 total deaths which include 10 PCR positive and 6 rapid positive
  • Evans County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 365 and the 7 day average of percent of positive tests is 15.9%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive tests at 5% or below). THESE ONLY INCLUDE PCR TEST - DPH DOES NOT INLCUDE ANITIGEN POSITIVES IN DAILY REPORT BY COUNTY. YOU SHOULD ASSUME THE NUMBERS ARE WORSE THAN DPH IS REPORTING.

 

Bulloch Schools, Colleges and University Report

Bulloch County Schools 

https://www.bullochschools.org/covid19dailyreport

Georgia Southern University

  • Updated weekly on Monday.  Click link below for totals:

https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/covid-19-information/exposure-health/

East Georgia State College

  • Updated daily/weekdays. Click link below for totals:

http://www.ega.edu/covid19

Ogeechee Technical College

  • Updated weekly on Monday.  Click link below for totals:

https://www.ogeecheetech.edu/1976

GA Tech COVID-19 Risk Assessment Tool

BULLOCH LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY REPORT

 

BULLOCH, CANDLER & EVANS COUNTIES COVID-19 DEATHS

About This Report

 

DPH Not Reporting Rapid Test Positives in Daily Numbers

The numbers we are reporting daily from DPH are not telling an accurate picture of what is really happening in our community now. The primary issue is Georgia DPH's refusal to follow the White House's COVID task force recommendations to combine all positive test results. Currently Georgia only reports a positive case if it is done by the PCR method, not rapid antigen test.

The PCR test is now taking 48 to 72 hours to get results back. The rapid test takes only minutes. After pressure from health care providers and media, DPH began reporting the number of rapid positives statewide daily and by county on a weekly basis.

On Monday, we get the rapid test positive numbers for the last seven days. However, DPH continues to refuse to use the total positive cases to calculate critical indicators, like percent positives, which allow citizens and leaders to determine the seriousness of the outbreak. This makes it appear that the COVID outbreak is not as severe as it may actually be.

DPH Definitions of Deaths

“Confirmed Deaths”: This number includes confirmed COVID-19 cases that were either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID-19 contributed to the individual’s death.

“Probable Deaths”: This number includes individuals who are antigen positive or individuals with compatible illness and known close contact to a case that were either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID contributed to the individual’s death OR individuals with a death certificate that has COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death and there is no laboratory evidence for SARS-CoV-2.

White House Task Force Recommends Including Rapid Test Results

Georgia is not currently combining molecular (PCR) and antigen (rapid) test results, which is recommended by the White House COVID Task Force. Instead Georgia reports them separately daily statewide and provides county antigen positives on a weekly basis. With the rapid accessibility of rapid testing, this will greatly impact the number of positive cases.

In last weeks White House report they explained that antigen tests perform well in the highly infectious window and will be effective in identification of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infectious cases.
• Antigen tests do not perform well after 8-10 days post infection when nucleic acid cycle times are greater than 30.
• All antigen results must be reported with both the number of positive results and total tests conducted; positives must be reported as COVID cases.

A special thanks to Dr. Frank Davis, M.D. F.A.C.S, a retired trauma surgeon who lives in Bulloch County. He has worked closely with the Grice Connect team to design the COVID-19 dashboard and provide brief interpretation of the data. You will be seeing and hearing more from Dr. Davis as he continues to help us monitor the COVID-19 impact locally.

Thanks for supporting and following Grice Connect.