blue gloved hands pack covid-19 test kits

by Robin Kemp

Clayton County is behind the rest of metro Atlanta when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. However, there has been a 60.4% drop in hospitalizations between the last two 14-day periods. Overall, cases continue to trend downward. Jonesboro and Riverdale continue to be the hardest-hit municipalities.

And once again, 100% of those who were hospitalized and died of COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Seven Clayton County residents died of COVID-19 last week.

The latest figures from the Clayton County Health District for the week ending Feb. 6, 2022 show:

  • 50% of residents (141,703 people) have received at least one dose of
    COVID-19 vaccine
  • 45% (127,046 people) have been fully vaccinated
  • 35% (45,021 people) are fully vaccinated and have had a booster shot

As of Sunday, Clayton County residents account for 58,135 cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak started. 785 people are known to have died of COVID-19. Clayton County represents 3% of cases statewide.

Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, there were 613 new positive test results. The average percent of positive PCR test results is 13.8%. Total cases include 18,302 cases per 100,000 people and 20,153 PCR and antigen cases.

Here’s what the hospitalization funnel looks like for the week ending Feb. 6. Of the 613 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week:

  • 435 were unvaccinated
  • 107 were fully vaccinated
  • 41 were fully vaccinated and boostered

16 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 last week. Of those:

  • 2 were unvaccinated
  • 4 were partially vaccinated
  • 9 were fully vaccinated
  • 1 was fully vaccinated and boostered

Of the seven hospitalized people who died of COVID-19 last week:

  • 100% were unvaccinated
Graph: Clayton County Health Dept./Ga. Dept. of Public Health

While it is possible to become infected with the COVID-19 virus if you are vaccinated, the shot takes about two weeks to reach full potency inside the human body. Even if you are vaccinated, you could still catch the virus, but your chances of surviving the illness are greater than 90% and you will experience less severe symptoms than if you were unvaccinated.

Conversely, if you are unvaccinated, you are more likely to get sick if you catch the COVID-19 and to experience more severe symptoms. If you are sick enough to be hospitalized, the chances that you will die are far greater than if you had been vaccinated before getting infected.

Clayton County Calling the Shots

Mass vaccinations continue throughout February at area public schools. Here’s a list of where you can get the shot:

FRIDAY, FEB. 11
2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 18
2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 25
2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Avoid COVID-19 Snake-Oil Sales

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on COVID-19 scams, including some in metro Atlanta, which claim prevention of and cures for COVID-19 that have not been independently evaluated by scientists.

For example, some companies have made unproven claims that supplements like sea moss and elderberry syrup can protect your immune system against COVID-19. However, no scientific research has proven those claims to be true. Instead, scammers will supply testimonials, which appeal to emotions over reason and which are not scientifically valid because they are not based on evidence.

Sea moss is all over the Internet as a purported immune system booster against COVID-19 or as a treatment to shorten the duration of COVID-19 symptoms. However, the companies selling sea moss as a COVID-19 cure supply no scientific studies to back their claims. They also don’t tell customers that aquatic plants can be contaminated with petrochemicals, heavy metals, radiation, or biological contaminants, or about studies that say much more work needs to be done to determine whether seaweed can be processed as a COVID-19 treatment.

Here’s how you can protect yourself from health care scammers:

When the Federal Trade Commission gets wind of fraudulent online COVID-19 product claims, they issue a letter requiring the site to take down the claim within 48 hours. If the seller doesn’t do it, they could face a judge.

If you have any questions about whether a dietary supplement should be part of your COVID-19 prevention or treatment regimen, ask your primary care physician or call the Clayton County Health Department at (678) 479-2223. You can register online for free COVID-19 testing and vaccinations at https://www.claytoncountypublichealth.org/ , which offers multiple language translations in the upper right corner of the homepage.

Robin Kemp

Robin Kemp is executive editor and CEO of The Clayton Crescent, which she founded in 2020. She has worked for Gambit, CNN, The Weather Channel, Clayton News, Henry Herald, and numerous freelance outlets....

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