Kemp deploys National Guard to hospitals as COVID surges, including two in Middle GA
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The Telegraph’s COVID delta variant reporting
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus surges across Middle Georgia, officials, hospitals and communities have had to react. Here is our latest coverage.
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Gov. Brian Kemp will deploy more than 100 National Guard members to hospitals around Georgia as the surging delta variant threatens to overwhelm healthcare workers.
Kemp said the Georgia National Guard would deploy to assist staff at various hospitals in Georgia including two in Middle Georgia: Navicent Health in Macon and the Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins.
This comes as the delta variant has caused a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Hospitals have reached capacity and local hospitals have come together in recent weeks to urge those in the community to help by getting the COVID-19 vaccine, one of which was officially approved by the FDA on Monday.
“These guardsmen will assist our frontline healthcare workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospitalizations,” Kemp said. “I continue to urge all Georgians to talk to a medical professional about getting vaccinated.”
In addition to the deployment, Kemp announced last week that 2,800 state-supported staff and 450 new beds would be brought online as part of a $625 million investment through December.
“Pretty soon there is going to be a clear choice. Either you get vaccinated or you are going to get the delta variant,” Dr. Jennifer Hoffman, an infectious disease specialist with Coliseum Health System, said. “I think it is accurate to say in a sense that it is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
The spike in cases has caused EMS services to divert emergency patients to other hospitals, non-essential in-patient procedures have been canceled, visitation policies have been changed and some folks are being treated in emergency room waiting areas because beds and staff aren’t available.
Delta is a more contagious strain of the virus, according to the CDC, because more viral particles accumulate in the nose and mouth meaning that every sneeze and cough is more likely to infect someone. The World Health Organization has called this version of the virus “the fastest and fittest.”
Dr. Patrice Walker, the Chief Medical Officer with Atrium Navicent Health, said the influx of COVID-19 patients is challenging because hospitals already have a lot of patients with everyday emergency needs and are dealing with staff shortages.
“Every healthcare system is having to evaluate similar to how we are right now,” Walker said. “We don’t want to discourage people from coming in to get care when they need it, but there may be long wait times but if people need care our doors are open. We want to encourage people to come and get it if they need it.
Here is a list of all the hospitals in Georgia that will receive members of the National Guard.
- Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville
- Wellstar Kennestone in Marietta
- Piedmont Henry in Stockbridge
- Phoebe Putney in Albany
- Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah
- Navicent Health in Macon
- Grady Hospital in Atlanta
- Piedmont Fayette in Fayetteville
- Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 12:31 PM.
