Dr. Gary Voccio, who overseas the Northwest Georgia Department of Public Health, says that the COVID-19 pandemic is quickly becoming, “the pandemic of the un-vaccinated.” 

In his latest update, Dr. Voccio says that the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has been on the increase in the ten-county area that his department serves, and with those numbers health officials are seeing an alarming number of hospitalizations.  Dr. Voccio says that the most common denominator among those who are being hospitalized is that the majority have not received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Yesterday, the Chattooga County Department of Public Health held a free vaccination clinic to encourage area residents to get the vaccine while they had a day off work for Labor Day.

Dr. Voccio said that not only are hospitalizations up from COVID patients, also ICU units are maxed out at all area hospitals.  In addition to that, Dr. Voccio says that emergency rooms have been packed and the wait time to get into a hospital room is “extremely long.”

Dr. Voccio is also urging people who need COVID-19 testing to go to their local health department instead of urgent care or emergency rooms.  Dr. Voccio said, “Urgent care facilities and emergency rooms are extremely busy trying to keep up with some very sick people.  It is best to go to one of our testing sites to get tested (for COVID-19).”