Hospitalizations down 22.9%, large drops in many zip codes
by Robin Kemp
After several mass vaccination events in Clayton County, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 is down 22.9% over the last two-week period and the number of cases is down 52%.
The Clayton County Health District reports that 70 people had to be hospitalized between September 13 and 26. However, that number dropped to 24 between September 27 and October 10.
What’s more, preliminary data from Georgia Department of Public Health indicates that the curve has dropped steeply for all age groups in the county since mid-September. Notably, the number of 10- to 19-year-olds has dropped below the number of cases among people ages 30 to 39:
Still, fewer than half of Clayton County residents (130,393 people or 46%) have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and only 40% (114,117 people) are fully vaccinated. A total of 243,279 doses have been administered to Clayton County residents, or 85,801 per 100,000 people.
Between October 4 and October 10, 310 people were confirmed to have COVID-19. Of that group:
- 256 were unvaccinated
- 5 were partially vaccinated
- 39 were fully vaccinated
“Breakthrough cases,” or people who develop COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, are exponentially more likely to survive a bout with the disease. It takes about 14 days after vaccination for the body to develop a strong immune response.
Out of the 310 confirmed cases, 27 people were hospitalized with COVID-19:
- 23 were unvaccinated
- 4 were fully vaccinated
And of the 27 people who were hospitalized with COVID-19:
- 17 people who were unvaccinated died
- 0 people who were vaccinated died
To date, 646 Clayton County residents have died of COVID-19. They represent 1.9% of cases to date. 5.5% of Clayton County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
Lovejoy’s 30250 zip code has seen a 600% increase in cases since September 26, from 2 people to 14. All other zip codes have seen significant decreases in the number of cases since that time–including Hampton (30228), down a whopping 73% and Jonesboro (30236), which dropped 62%. Other big drops were in Riverdale (30296) and Forest Park (30297), both down 58%; Jonesboro (30238), down 56%; Riverdale (30274) and College Park (30349), down 55%; Morrow (30260), down 52%; and Fayetteville (30215), down 45%.
As of October 10, 34,192 Clayton County residents have had COVID-19. Most of those cases have been in Jonesboro (30.9%) and Riverdale (21.1%).
To find out where you can get vaccinated for COVID-19, or if you have questions or concerns about whether vaccination is right for you and your family, contact your personal health care provider. If you don’t have one, call the Clayton County Health District at (678) 479-2223 or visit claytoncountypublichealth.org.
You also can find the closest places to get vaccinated based on your zip code online at vaccines.gov.
