In most Georgia counties, COVID-19 vaccination rates have stalled. And with infections from the so-called Delta variant rapidly rising across the United States, public health experts worry the state could again see surges in serious virus cases. What’s behind the low vaccination numbers? Host Steve Fennessy and GPB Macon Reporter and Editor Grant Blankenship try to answer that question on the latest episode of the Georgia Today podcast.
Large multi-hospital systems in Georgia such as Piedmont Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, Wellstar Health System and Northside Hospital haven’t reported their rates of employee vaccination. The percentage of Georgia hospitals reporting their numbers, though, is higher than the national average of 52 percent.
Nationwide, 1 in 4 hospital workers who have direct contact with patients had not yet received a single dose of a COVID vaccine by the end of May, according to a WebMD and Medscape Medical News analysis of data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2,500 hospitals across the U.S.
President Biden set a goal of 70% of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4. The White House is acknowledging Tuesday that it will likely come up short of that.
With COVID-19 vaccinations lagging in Georgia, a newly formed coalition launched an initiative Tuesday to convince unvaccinated Georgians to get tested for the virus.
Data collection for race and ethnicity vary among states, complicating efforts to distribute COVID-19 shots to all groups. In Missouri, health officials have questioned the data's usefulness.
In sprawling Flathead County, only 25% of adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Public health experts worry about reservoirs of potential outbreaks as neighbors still debate the virus' danger.
