The summer of 2021 was supposed to be the return to normal in Georgia. And in some ways it has been. Music Midtown and the Atlanta bonanza that is Labor Day weekend are still on – though many of these events are now requiring proof of vaccines or negative Covid tests. But in some parts of the state, Covid is still on the minds of many – or at least healthcare workers.
With the new, more contagious Delta variant, new positive cases are quickly closing in on the high from January. Due to some reporting issues, the seven day moving average is one of the most accurate ways to measure new cases and the state is currently sitting at 7,857 per day. The average on July 1 was 383. The all-time high was on January 13 of 9,694. The state is now fifth in the country for Covid-related hospitalizations and the percent of inpatients with Covid is 31.9, third highest in the country.
With those numbers in mind, Gov. Brian Kemp announced on Tuesday that he was authorizing the national guard to deploy 105 personnel to hospitals across the state in coordination with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Community Health.
“These guardsmen will assist our frontline healthcare workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospitalizations, and I greatly appreciate General Carden and his team for their willingness to answer the call again in our fight against COVID-19,” said Governor Kemp. “This Georgia National Guard mission is in addition to the 2,800 state-supported staff and 450 new beds brought online I announced last week, at a total state investment of $625 million through December of this year. I continue to urge all Georgians to talk to a medical professional about getting vaccinated.”
The guard units will be split between 10 hospitals, not concentrated in any region of the state – it is not just a rural issue. Units will be sent to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Fayetteville, Brunswick, Gainesville, Marietta, Stockbridge, Albany, Savannah, Macon and Warner Robins. All the units will be trained medical personnel who can step in and help assist staff.
The situation in Georgia somewhat mirrors the rest of the country, where Joe Biden was seeing lagging poll numbers due to Covid before the situation in Afghanistan began to unfold. In Georgia, the politics of Covid may not ultimately make much of a difference. In fact, they may have helped Brian Kemp stave off a bigger primary challenge as he makes a case for balancing opening the economy and normal life with being cautious over Covid. By the time the general election comes along, hopefully Covid will really be in the rearview and the regular polarization of politics may seem refreshing.
