Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Cherokee County have declined significantly over the last six weeks, Northside Hospital reported, coinciding with a sharp decrease in daily cases over the same time span.
“We have seen an 80% decrease in adult COVID hospitalizations at Northside Hospital Cherokee since our last peak Sept. 7,” Northside’s Katherine Watson said in an email to the Tribune. “COVID-positive patients account for approximately 11% of our current adult inpatients. The vast majority of these patients continue to be unvaccinated.”
Watson did not give more specific numbers of how many patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were vaccinated or not.
Overall cases have also decreased significantly in the latest surge that began in July and peaked in late August and early September.
Half of Cherokee County residents, or 123,170, were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, according to state data. At least 54%, or 133,378, had received at least one vaccine dose.
Cherokee County was averaging 18.1 new confirmed cases a day Friday, down from 28.9 a week before. The county saw 127 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the seven days ending Friday, down from 202 the week before, per Georgia DPH.
As of Friday afternoon, Cherokee had reported eight COVID-19 deaths in the last seven days and was averaging 1.1 deaths per day.
Cherokee County was reporting 123 cases of COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.
Of those tested for the coronavirus in Cherokee County, an average of 6.2% were testing positive Friday, down from 11.2% a week before and 12.6% Sept. 22.
Statewide, 49% of residents are fully vaccinated, and nationally that figure is 57.3%, according to Georgia DPH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Friday, a reported 1,813 COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Cherokee County in the seven days ending Thursday, per Georgia DPH. The total reported vaccinations in the county was 258,951.
Those interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine can sign up through the Georgia Department of Public Health and at private providers, including pharmacies.
As of Friday, Cherokee County had a total of 30,873 confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to Georgia DPH. Of those, 1,903 had been hospitalized with the virus and 420 had died.
For the Georgia DPH’s full COVID-19 report, visit dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report. For more about vaccinations in Georgia, visit bit.ly/3spDbqE.
National data can be found at the CDC’s website at cdc.gov.
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