August worst month in pandemic for Phoebe Putney Health System

Sep. 4—ALBANY — In seven days, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 13 Dougherty County residents and many more throughout the region in what medical professionals are now describing as "a pandemic of the unvaccinated."

On Friday, there were 41 patients in Phoebe Putney Health System facilities who were on breathing ventilators of the 172 who were hospitalized in Albany, Americus and Sylvester, Dr. Suresh Lakhanpal, CEO of Phoebe Physicians, said.

"This has been a relentless, unremitting virus, and the impact on our community is great," he said during a Friday news conference. "Eighty-seven percent of our patients are unvaccinated folks, and in the last week we have lost 33 lives, 33 lives lost to this virus."

August was the worst month so far during the pandemic that began in early 2020, with 533 hospital admissions and 57 deaths, the physician said. Of vaccinated patients who get a "breakthrough" COVID infection, 98 percent do not have to be hospitalized.

For patients who are sickened with the virus, monoclonal transfusion treatment is available at no charge, but the procedure works best when patients seek it at the first onset of symptoms.

The virus is still spreading through the community, and new infections have been on the increase, Dr. Charles Ruis, health director for Public Health District 8-2, said.

"The spread of COVID in the state of Georgia continues to go up, and that includes Dougherty County," he said. "If you look back at the last 14 days, there have been quite a lot of new cases. Actually, all 159 counties in the state of Georgia are in the high rate of spread."

Those getting sick are younger than in earlier surges, with the average age of patients hospitalized in their 50s, and Ruis said four children died in the state in August.

"Our adults are at risk, our children are at risk; we really need to take this seriously," he said.

While more people are now getting vaccinated, the numbers are still much lower than the number needed to help halt the spread of the disease.

The state has hit the point where a majority have decided to get vaccinated, with 51 percent having had at least one shot. In Dougherty County 45 percent of residents had taken at least one dose and 38 percent had two and were fully vaccinated.

While some vaccinated individuals have cases of COVID-19, the odds are in favor of those who have taken the vaccine, Ruis said.

"We're not saying the vaccine is perfect," he said. "What we're saying is that if you're vaccinated, you have a much greater chance of avoiding this virus, you have a much greater chance of not dying from this virus."

The officials encouraged residents to be safe during the holiday weekend by practicing social distancing, wearing masks and practicing good hygiene, including thorough hand-washing.

With the 13 deaths of residents in the past week, the death toll reached 318 in the county, Dougherty Coroner Michael Fowler said.

"This is a staggering amount of people to lose in a week," Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said. "At the moment, the vast majority of people that are in the hospital on a respirator struggling to breathe, that have to have a machine breathing for them, are not vaccinated. The majority of people dying that Coroner Fowler is picking up are not vaccinated. The majority of funerals that are having to be held for loved ones, their loved ones were not vaccinated."