Health officials emphasize quarantine as COVID cases climb

Beyond vaccinations, public health officials also are emphasizing another important means of slowing the spread of COVID-19: quarantine.

Clay County pushed near 100 active cases during the past week and also recorded its 22nd and 23rd COVID-related deaths during the pandemic. As of Monday, the county had at least 97 active cases of the virus, including 67 unvaccinated and 13 residents hospitalized, all of whom are unvaccinated.

Clay County Health Director Clarissa Rogers said failure to quarantine has been a driving factor during this latest surge sparked by the highly-contagious Delta variant.

"If you're given quarantine orders, listen to them," Rogers said. "If you are sick or someone in your household is sick with COVID-like symptoms, stay home.

"A lot of people are not quarantining or staying at home when they're sick, they're still going out. That is a big part of the surge of numbers, the fact that people are just not listening to guidance."

CDC guidelines recommend that an unvaccinated person quarantine for at least 10 days if they have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, unless the exposed person has been fully vaccinated. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of the virus. If symptoms appear, immediately contact your local public health authority or healthcare provider.

People who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms but should still get tested 3-5 days after their exposure.

As of Tuesday, Union General Hospital in Blairsville, Ga., which serves Clay County residents, had 63 inpatients despite only being licensed for 45 beds. Fifty-three of those patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 49 unvaccinated individuals. The intensive care unit, which normally has five beds, was caring for eight patients.

A hospital release called the present situation "the largest COVID-19 surge our community has ever faced."

The Northeast Georgia Health System, which includes Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, also updated its numbers on Tuesday. The system is currently caring for 288 COVID-19 inpatients. More than 89.4 percent (242) were unvaccinated. Of the 40 patients in the ICU, 38 were unvaccinated.

Days earlier, NGHS System President and CEO Carol Burrell delivered a public service announcement in a video released by the hospital. Burrell said we are reaching "a critical point in this fight" and asked that the public do its best to limit the spread of the virus.

"We've seen the number of COVID-positive patients in our hospitals rapidly increase from 13 to more than 260 during the last month," Burrell said. "On top of that, our clinical leaders tell us that patients are often getting sicker more quickly than they have in past waves, which has increased the need for critical care. As a result, our hospitals are essentially full."

Burrell said those needing care should not delay coming to the hospital, but they can expect to wait longer than usual depending on their situation. Those who need to be admitted to the hospital may need to be placed in a bed in a hallway, or a cot in a waiting area. Burrell encouraged the public to get vaccinated, avoid large gatherings and wear a face mask.

Across North Carolina, 3,612 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Tuesday and 56 additional deaths were reported. There were 941 patients in the ICU — a pandemic record for the state. The percent of positive tests was at 14.6 percent. According to health officials, five percent or lower is the rate needed to slow the spread of the virus.

N.C. Governor Roy Cooper has pledged to expand the use of monoclonal antibody treatments for state residents. Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic, laboratory-made antibodies that have been shown to reduce COVID-19-related hospitalization or deaths in high-risk patients by about 70 percent. Cooper also stressed that vaccines remain the best defense against the virus.

According to the Clay County Health Department, 43 percent of adults within the county are fully vaccinated. To schedule a COVID-19 vaccination, call the Clay County Health Department at (828) 389-8052.