Local COVID situation improving

Key COVID-19 numbers continued to trend in the right direction over the past week.

While Clay County's own numbers leveled off after a recent decline, area hospitals reported overall improvement in their statistics.

At Union General Hospital in Blairsville, Ga., the total number of ICU patients dropped to five — considered normal "full capacity" for the facility — for the first time since officials began reporting its numbers during the Delta variant surge in late August. The hospital has 32 COVID-19 inpatients overall.

Meanwhile, the Northeast Georgia Health System reported 190 COVID-19 inpatients as of Tuesday, after reaching a peak of 333 less than a month ago on Sept. 9.

Clay County Health department reported 48 active cases of coronavirus within Clay County as of Tuesday, rising slightly after the total fell to 42 as of Sept. 27. The health department also reported two additional deaths late last week — the 37th and 38th within the county since the pandemic began — including a resident in their early 50s.

Vaccination numbers continue to slowly improve across the state, as an estimated 69 of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Approximately 65 percent are considered fully vaccinated.

Many individuals who received the Pfizer vaccine are now eligible for a booster shot, so long as it has been more than six months since their second dose. Individuals eligible include those 65 years and older, as well as individuals 18 and up who have underlying medical conditions or who live or work in high-risk settings. No doctor's request is required.

"Guidance can get confusing, as it is ever changing, so if anyone has any questions, they can contact the health department and speak to our clinical staff," Clay County Health Director Clarissa Rogers said.

Data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services indicated an almost 25 percent decline in hospitalizations over the past 14 days, while the average number of new cases per day has dropped by more than 30 percent. Across the state line in Georgia, the average daily increase in newly confirmed cases was 4,493.71 per day over a two-week period as of Tuesday. During the previous 14-day period, the average daily increase in newly confirmed cases was almost double at 9,138.

Drugmaker Merck also boosted hopes in the fight against the pandemic late last week when it announced that its experimental pill for people sick with COVID-19 reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half. Merck said it will apply for emergency use authorization in the U.S. as soon as possible.