Articles Posted in Covid- 19

In the initial days of the Coronavirus or Covid-19 outbreak many in Georgia believed that the disease would be restricted to urban areas due to higher travel as well as the greater population densities in cities.  However, rural Georgia is currently reeling from the effects of the outbreak, leaving many concerned about how hospitals in these regions will handle the large infection numbers that are now confirmed.

There is no denying that rural Georgia has been hit doubly hard by the outbreak. It is not just the number of cases that are alarming, but also the fact that rural hospitals, even in the best of times, are poorly equipped to handle vast caseloads. Several rural towns in Georgia have seen local hospitals close over the past few years as part of larger scale hospital closures across the country.

In Dougherty County, which is a Covid-19 hotspot, there are just 50 hospital ICU beds for the entire county. In the four counties surrounding it, there is not a single hospital bed. The Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany has seen as many as 600 people test positive recently, while a staggering 1000 more people who were tested at the hospital were waiting for their results at the time of writing this post. In sparsely populated Mitchell County, not a single Covid-19 case existed just two weeks ago. Today, the Covid-19 death count here is 9.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is fast increasing in the state of Georgia. The total number of cases at the time of writing this has touched 10566. The deaths total 379, an alarming increase by any standards. There are 2159 hospitalized.

The highest number of fatalities has been recorded in Dougherty County which has recorded 44 deaths linked to the Corona Virus global pandemic. 45 deaths were recorded in Fulton, while Cobb County recorded 29 Covid-19 related deaths.  Testing has been expanded across Georgia with more than 38,000 tests administered thus far, making it a testing rate of 24.2 percent.

Fulton County, in fact, recorded the largest increase in confirmed Corona virus cases in the past week, with 26 confirmed new cases, while DeKalb had 21 confirmed new cases. Fulton County is also the only county with a confirmed Covid-19 case toll of above 1000 with a total of 1276 recorded cases.  Currently, DeKalb County has 742 cases, while Cobb County has 629 Gwinnett County has 603, Clayton County has 297, Douglas has 127, and Fayette has 89 cases.

The good news about Covid-19 is that the survival rates are very high, and healthy adults are very likely to recover from the infection. However, it is still too early to predict the kind of damage that the infection will leave on the system, even after a complete recovery.

Some studies from China, the origin of the outbreak, seem to indicate that the lung damage may continue to impact the person, even after a full recovery. When doctors in Hong Kong country monitored 12 patients who had recovered from the Corona virus, they found that several of them continued to suffer from respiratory problems and were gasping when walking after recovery. Their lung functioning was about 20 to 30 percent lower after recovery.

When the doctors analyzed scans of the patients’ lungs, they found signs of damage. However, the sample was far too small to be taken as evidence that the infection will leave behind lung damage. But it does alert doctors treating Covid-19 patients to the possibility that there may be other complications from Covid-19, even after a complete recovery from the disease.

If you are currently living with a condition that qualifies you for Social Security Disability benefits, chances are high that you have a weak immune system.  For persons with weakened immune systems, the Corona virus or Covid-19 infection can have deadly consequences.

If you are above 60 years of age, or currently suffer from cancer, lupus, heart disease, kidney disease, liver problems, alcohol addiction, stress and any number of other problems that weaken your immune system, you may be at a higher risk of contracting the Coronavirus infection.

There are several steps that you can specifically take, apart from the usual ones, to keep yourself safe. Practice social distancing stringently as advised by global medical experts. Wash hands every twenty minutes, and avoid touching your face, nose, eyes or mouth.

You must have heard or read the term “immunocompromised” all over the media in relation to Covid-19 or the Corona virus epidemic that’s currently raging across the US. Simply put, the term “immunocompromised” refers to a person who may suffer from low immunity or immunity deficiency due to a variety of conditions. This lack of immunity places the person at a higher risk of a Covid-19 infection.

The body’s immune defenses consist of special cells that attack pathogens that enter the body, protecting the person from illness and infections. There are many health conditions that may make your immune system weak, leaving you vulnerable to infections.

Compromised immune deficiency can be either temporary or permanent. If you suffer from heart disease, diabetes, kidney or liver damage, or lupus, you are considered immunocompromised.  All types of cancers will leave the immune system severely compromised and at risk of infections. Persons who suffer from these conditions must be especially careful about following all safety protocols that are recommended to prevent a Covid-19 infection.