COVID cases down, but so are vaccinations

White County has seen its COVID-19 confirmed case count dwindle since spring, but it lags behind most of the state for percentage of the population that has sought to become fully vaccinated.

The county has 29.3% (8,635 residents) of its population considered fully vaccinated, according to a July 6 status report from the Georgia Department of Public Health. Almost 32%, or 9,348 people, have had at least one vaccine dose.

White County’s 29.3% for full vaccinations ranks 91st among the state’s 159 counties. In the 13-county area for Public Health District 2, White County led only Lumpkin (28.2%), Franklin (27.7%) and Banks (22.7%) counties. Forsyth County led the district at 45.8%.

Overall, Georgia has fully vaccinated 38.5% of its population, with 43.3% having received at least one dose.

Fayette County is the highest in Georgia at 50.5% for full vaccination and Chattahoochee County was last at 13.7%, according to the July 6 report.

State Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey had previously hoped to have 80% of eligible Georgia residents fully vaccinated by the end of summer, and officials have campaigned for vaccine awareness and participation since the rollout began earlier this year.

DPH data shows the number of White Countians in the county getting vaccines regularly reached triple digits in a day from mid-January through April as Georgia rolled out vaccines in phases. But that figure has surpassed 100 doses in a day only once since (109 on May 7).

Most senior citizens in White County have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to an age group breakdown from DPH. The highest percentage is seen in the age 75-84 bracket at 89.6%.

Percentages (for at least one dose) for other age groups in the July 6 report are: 85 and older – 81.8%, 65-74 – 66.8%, 55-64 – 44.1%, 45-54 – 23.6%, 35-44 – 22.8%, 25-34 – 21.8%, 20-24 – 17.2% and 15-19 – 9% and 2.7% for those under 15.

Those interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine can contact the public health call center at 888-426-5073 or the White County Health Department at 706-865-2191, as well as check with local pharmacies and medical offices.

Cases remain low

White County’s seven-day moving average of confirmed COVID-19 cases has continued to remain steady.

The Georgia Department of Public Health’s July 6 status report showed the average at 0.3 daily cases at that time, down from 0.7 on June 29. Recent figures include 0.3 on June 22, 0.4 on June 15, 0.9 on June 8, 1 on June 1, 1.1 on May 25, and 0.7 on May 18.

There were 16 total confirmed cases in June, according to the DPH report. There were 30 total confirmed cases during May, 46 confirmed cases during April, a decrease from the 52 confirmed cases reported during March, the 187 in February, 656 in January, and 692 in December.

DPH lists 3,024 total confirmed cases during the pandemic and 70 local deaths attributed to COVID-19 as of the July 6 report.