DPH: Quick-moving COVID-19 variant is ‘probably widespread’ throughout Georgia

County cases, hospitalizations drop from December peaks but remain high.

More cases of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant originating from Europe have been identified in Georgia, leading public-health officials to reason the strain is likely spreading fast.

Twenty-three cases of the COVID-19 variant have been reported as of Wednesday, up from 19 cases confirmed earlier this week, according to Georgia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey.

The quick-moving variant is “probably widespread” throughout Georgia since test results lag behind by a week, Toomey said at a news conference Wednesday.

She and Gov. Brian Kemp urged Georgians to double down on wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing despite positive case rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19 trending down after winter outbreaks.

“The vaccine is here,” Kemp said. “We are getting more shots in arms every day. But we also are still in a deadly race against a highly contagious virus.”

About one million Georgians have received COVID-19 vaccines so far, including more than 500,000 people ages 65 and older who have received their first of two doses, Kemp said. He called those numbers “encouraging milestones” amid the state’s slow vaccine rollout.

Demand for vaccines is still far outstripping supply with only 154,000 doses coming each week from the federal government and more than two million Georgians currently eligible for shots, Kemp said. He added the Biden administration is not expected to increase vaccine shipments for at least a few more weeks.

Teachers and other groups not yet eligible for the vaccine will have to wait until more weekly doses are delivered even as state public-health officials start opening regional vaccine drive-thru sites able to serve thousands of people per day once supplies match demand, Toomey said.

“We want everyone vaccinated,” Toomey said. “I think the problem is always going to be adequacy of vaccine and ensuring a risk-based approach.”

Kemp and Toomey spoke at a vaccine drive-thru site at Jim Miller Park in Cobb County where cars pulled up to tents for drivers to receive their shots. The governor said several sites like the one in Cobb will be ready for a stream of cars once vaccine shipments increase.

“We want nothing more than to expand the criteria” for who is eligible, Kemp said. “Our current supply does not make that feasible at this time, but it is high on our radar.”

Public-health officials are close to launching an online booking portal for scheduling vaccine appointments, Toomey said. It should roll out in midfebruary.

COVID-19 transmission rates in Floyd County remain very high, although they are dropping from all time highs in December and early January. In the past two weeks, 586 Floyd County residents have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

A continued high positivity rate of over 11% denotes that there hasn’t been enough testing to determine the actual spread of the disease in the community.

At the same time, the number of COVID-19 patients in local hospitals has also dropped. As of Wednesday there were 47 patients with the disease being treated at Floyd Medical Center and 36 at Redmond Regional Medical Center.

That’s down from highs in December and early January in the range of 140150 in local hospital beds.

More than 759,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Georgia as of Wednesday afternoon, with about 163,000 more reported positive antigen tests indicating likely positive results.

The virus has killed 12,907 Georgians, including 141 Floyd County residents. Another 25 local deaths are suspected, but not confirmed by lab tests, to have been caused by COVID-19.