Advanced practice nurses urge state to grant them more authority amid crisis

By Andy Miller and Judi Kanne Shannon Whitten has worked as a rural nurse practitioner for 20 years in Sandersville, in eastern Georgia. She’s an advanced practice registered nurse, also known as an APRN. Some of her colleagues at the same level have been recruited by New York to help out during the city’s COVID-19…

Emory patients part of drug trial for potential COVID-19 treatment

Some Emory patients with COVID-19 are part of a clinical trial of an antiviral drug that has reportedly proved effective among patients in Chicago who have severe illness. The Emory trial of remdesivir is part of a National Institutes of Health study that’s separate from the Chicago drug trial. There’s no FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19…

Long-term care deaths amount to one-third of Georgia’s COVID-19 total

State officials report that 250 residents of Georgia long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19. The report, released Friday, also says that more than 1,600 residents have contracted the disease within more than 200 facilities. More than 800 employees have also fallen ill. Deaths in long-term care represent more than one-third of the state’s COVID-19…

Pandemic could swell Georgia’s Medicaid rolls, numbers of uninsured

Even before COVID-19 struck, Georgia had a high rate of people with no health insurance. Now, with job losses piling up amid the pandemic, the number of Georgians without coverage is expected to spike. A new analysis from consulting firm Health Management Associates (HMA) gives estimates for Georgia that are jarring. HMA projects that if…

Southwest Georgia hit especially hard; convention center turning into hospital

All but two of Georgia’s 159 counties have at least one case of COVID-19. Both these counties have very few people. Taliaferro, in east Georgia, is the least populous county in the state, with about 1,600 residents, and nearby Glascock has only about 3,000 people. Nevertheless, some lightly populated counties in southwest Georgia have felt…

Pandemic brings financial trouble for many doctors

An irony about COVID-19 — the greatest public health threat in a century — is that many doctors’ offices are now basically empty. The pandemic has led to much lower patient volumes for physicians across Georgia. A lot of people have stopped going to the doctor. “It happened almost overnight,’’ says Dr. Donald Fordham, a…

Kemp orders state shutdown to fight virus, cites expected patient surge at hospitals

Gov. Brian Kemp is ordering Georgians statewide to “shelter in place’’ to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the state. The governor, in adopting stronger measures against the virus, cited a CDC warning this week that as many as 25 percent of people infected may not show symptoms — a startling figure that may hamper…

Early data show average age of Georgia deaths from virus much lower than global figure

The average age of death from the coronavirus is 80, the U.S. surgeon general said earlier this month. Dr. Jerome Adams apparently was referring to the global average. The latest statistics here in Georgia, though, show the average age of death from COVID-19 is 68. Though there are exceptions, deaths and serious illnesses from the…

State sending more help to embattled Phoebe Putney in Albany

State officials say they will send a National Guard medical support team to help an Albany hospital deal with its deluge of COVID-19 patients. That will help the already stretched medical staff deal with the constant flow of area residents with symptoms of coronavirus. “Patients keep coming every day,’’ said Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital spokesman…

State COVID-19 toll jumps within hours; sterilizing facilities get regulatory break

In just seven hours, the state toll from coronavirus jumped significantly. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, 47 Georgians had died from coronavirus, up from 40 reported at noon. The total number of cases increased from 1,247 to 1,387 over that time. The death rate from confirmed cases in Georgia remains at 3 percent. The hardest-hit…