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As COVID-19 case rase have spiked in recent weeks, coastal health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated.
Southeast Georgia Health System warns that the coastal area is experiencing higher case rates than it has seen in many months. As of Monday, there were a dozen positive COVID patients hospitalized at Camden Campus.
In light of 39 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Camden between July 9-12, as well as 59 in the three-county area of Camden Glynn and McIntosh, health officials are urging citizens to increase COVID-preventive measures.
Those measures include, first and foremost, getting vaccinated. Southeast Georgia Health System operates a free vaccination clinic on site at Camden Campus. To schedule an appointment, visit sghs.org/covid19-vaccine.
Georgia Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to get shots into arms, also is co-hosting a vaccine clinic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday at the St. Marys Presybyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 100 W. Conyers.
At both locations, Pfizer vaccines are available to anyone 12 and older. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available to those 18 and older.
According to the health department, only 27.6% of Camden County residents are vaccinated, which is less than the state (37%) and national (48%) rates. This is not an adequate number to achieve the kind of “herd immunity” that would protect both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
Health officials have been predicting an uptick in cases in states where vaccination rates are low. COVID-19 already disproportionately affects rural counties so Camden and other southeast Georgia counties are already at a disadvantage.
A number of factors — summer travel, holiday gatherings and a more casual attitude about masking and distancing in general — have contributed to those numbers, according to the Coastal Health District.
Although the virus, particularly the more contagious Delta variant, is predicted to affect the unvaccinated population, health experts believe it can still be transmitted through those who have been vaccinated, especially when indoors in crowded and poorly ventilated areas.
Although the holiday may have accelerated the recent spike in case numbers, they were already on the rise in Camden and the surrounding areas and it has worsened since July 4. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there were 28 confirmed cases in Camden County from June 26-July 2. Camden had 24 new cases confirmed on Tuesday alone.
Other COVID-preventive measures include paying attention to possible symptoms of COVID-19 and getting tested if you suspect you may have the virus or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. Those who suspect they have the virus or are waiting on test results should quarantine to reduce the chances of spreading it to someone else.
Although the virus has proven to be very effective against contracting the virus, there are still some things that health officials are still learning, such as how long immunity lasts and how people with compromised immune systems are protected by the injections. Some health officials are even recommending that vaccinated people continue to wear masks in indoor locations to help prevent transmission of the virus to others.
However, the Georgia Department of Public Health is still advising those who have been fully vaccinated can resume normal activities with no masks necessary and no social distancing except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.